Houston Votes to Deprioritize Low-Level Cannabis Crimes

Voters in Houston, Texas on Tuesday approved a ballot measure instructing the police department to deprioritize enforcement of misdemeanor cannabis crimes and ban no-knock warrants, Houston Public Media reports. The measure is similar to those passed in other cities in the state, including Austin, Dallas, Killeen, and San Marcos.

The measure approved by voters amends the city charter to “require the Houston Police Department to make enforcement of Class A and Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession its lowest law-enforcement priority ” and to “prohibit Houston police officers from requesting or executing ‘no-knock’ search warrants.”

The reforms come as arrest rates for misdemeanor cannabis possession had spiked nearly 1,200% under Democratic Mayor John Whitmire. In September, when the city council approved the ballot measure, Whitmire had contended that misdemeanor cannabis possession was “not a priority” of Houston police.

During Whitmire’s tenure, the Houston police have arrested on average 440 people per year for low-level cannabis possession. Meanwhile, there were only about 35 misdemeanor cannabis arrests per year from 2021 to 2023. Whitmire has blamed the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for prosecuting more misdemeanor cannabis possession cases. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said the office is bound by state law which prohibits prosecutors’ ability to not charge drug cases.