The decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana in Lubbock was rejected by roughly 65% of voters, which was a disappointing result for Proposition A advocates.
If the proposal had been approved, Lubbock police would not have been allowed to arrest adults discovered in possession of four ounces or less of marijuana.
The group leading the decriminalization efforts, Lubbock Compact, sent out a representative, Adam Hernandez, who blamed the loss on poor voter turnout. They were not able to raise enough voter participation even with a lot of work and volunteer assistance.
Hernandez stressed the importance of putting voter education and turnout first before pursuing any new measures when speaking about the prospect of coming back to the subject in the future.
The Lubbock Compact kicked off the movement to stop some low-level marijuana arrests, and when the City Council unanimously rejected the idea, a grassroots movement was launched.
Megachurches, state officials, and police enforcement, on the other hand, strongly opposed the idea, claiming that it would endanger public safety.
Although over 26,000 ballots were cast early in the race, suggesting higher interest than in past municipal elections, the about 35,000 total voter turnout was insufficient. Considering that Lubbock County has more than 190,000 registered voters, this is noteworthy.
While Austin, Killeen, Denton, Elgin, and San Marcos are among the Texas cities that have successfully approved identical ordinances, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed legal challenges against them. Another community with a similar policy, Harker Heights, has rejected calls to modify its enforcement protocols.