Denton voters pass decriminalization of low-level marijuana possession

DENTON, Texas — As soon as early voting results were released on Tuesday night, all signs pointed to Proposition B passing in the City of Denton. The proposition will end citations and arrests for Class A and Class B misdemeanor possession of marijuana, up to four ounces of marijuana.

Nick Stevens, Board Member of Decriminalize Denton, said his organization gathered 3,000 signatures from registered voters. They also reached out to more than 70,000 Denton residents ahead of the election. 

He said, “I feel unsurprised and very humbled because Republicans and Democrats and Independents collectively in Denton came together over a commonsense issue and passed the decriminalization of marijuana.”

More than 32,000 people voted for the proposition and 13,092 voted against it. 

According to Stevens, the ordinance means no more citations or arrests for less than four ounces of marijuana. He said it also means police cannot stop and frisk simply due to the smell of marijuana.

This means changes for Denton Police Department. 

“As a forward-thinking agency, marijuana possession alone has not been a priority for the Denton Police Department for several years,” said Denton Police Chief Doug Shoemaker. “This will continue to be the case. With that said, officers must maintain discretion to be able to keep our community safe from harm. When marijuana possession pairs with other crimes that affect public safety, including offenses such as driving while intoxicated or firearms violations, such acts cannot and will not be ignored.” 

The ordinance does not apply to the University of North Texas Police Department, Texas Woman’s University Department of Public Safety, Denton County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

A Special Meeting will be held on Nov. 18, where Denton City Council will canvas the election. After that, the ordinance will go into effect.