Lubbock to Call Election on Reducing Enforcement of Marijuana Laws

Lubbock Citizens Tower/Photo by The Amarillo Pioneer

Lubbock City Council will vote on Tuesday to call an election to reduce enforcement of some marijuana-related offenses.

Earlier this year, a petition with over 10,000 votes was delivered to the City of Lubbock, requesting that the council approve a proposed ordinance titled “Freedom Act Lubbock,” which would reduce enforcement of several marijuana-related offenses. However, the ordinance was rejected by the council in a unanimous vote. In response, the committee behind the petition exercised their right to have the item placed on the ballot.

The item is set to be included on the May 4th, 2023 ballot, along with Mayor of Lubbock, City Council Districts 2, 4, and 6, the Lubbock Municipal Court Judge, and several seats on the Lubbock ISD Board. Despite the fact that the city is already on course to hold a joint election with Lubbock ISD, the city is claiming the move will have a financial impact of “$160,000 - $200,000.”

Lubbock City Council will also consider several other items, including several purchase items. Notably, one item is to reject all bids for an SUV the Lubbock Public Libraries System had been seeking to purchase. According to the city, “bids were received from 3 vendors, but they were rejected due to the lack of readily available vehicles.” The city further cited “recent experiences with all the vendors that involved order cancelations” as another reason for rejecting the bids.

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 5th, with the open session beginning at 2:00 pm. It will be held in the City Council Chambers in Citizens Tower.