With the proliferation of hemp bars, lounges, and intoxicating products for sale, many have wondered whether cannabis is legal in Texas. These businesses operate using the Farm Bill loophole, which has yet to regulate hemp-derived-delta-9. Some lawmakers have taken that into their courts, passing legislation banning the sale of these products in their states.
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While Texas lawmakers consider banning hemp THC in the Lone Star state, city governments are working on decriminalizing the other stuff (good old-fashioned weed). The large metropolitan area of Dallas voted to decriminalize cannabis in the 2024 election, and police were recently instructed to stand down on possession arrests under four ounces.
Police update Dallas possession rules
Dallas Interim Police Chief Michael Igo issued an internal memo obtained by WFAA that officially prohibited those on the police from considering “the odor of marijuana as probable cause for search and seizure, except as part of a violent felony or high priority narcotics felony investigations.”
The move is supported by Proposition R, a city charter amendment that passed with 66 percent approval in November. The Texas Attorney General immediately sued the city for refusing to enforce Texas drug law.
“Cities cannot pick and choose which State laws they follow,” Paxton said in a press release. “The City of Dallas has no authority to override Texas drug laws or prohibit the police from enforcing them. This is a backdoor attempt to violate the Texas Constitution, and any city that tries to constrain police in this fashion will be met swiftly with a lawsuit by my office.”
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Until further notice, those holding under four ounces of ganja should be safe from arrest in Dallas, provided they don’t get up to any other mischief. Interim Chief Igo urged fellow officers to follow the new city charter amendment and updated advice despite ongoing legal affairs with AG Paxton.
“Regardless of your thoughts and/or opinions regarding the passing of this amendment, we must remain focused on our duties and obligations to the Dallas Police Department and the residents of the City of Dallas,” Dallas Interim Police Chief Michael Igo concluded in the memo obtained by WFAA.
