Local Grassroots Organization pushes to decriminalize marijuana

Christopher Green | Staff Reporter

SAN MARCOS – Mano Amiga, a local non-profit that works with issues surrounding immigration and criminalization in Hays and Caldwell County, has started a petition to decriminalize marijuana.

The petition comes after a cite-and-release ordinance was passed in April 2020 which gives San Marcos police the option to give citations for low level misdemeanors. Mano Amiga is pushing to decriminalize marijuana claiming that cite-and-release doesn’t do enough. If Mano Amiga is able to get 10% of registered voters in San Marcos to sign the petition, it will be placed on the November election ballot.

Sam Benavides, Communications Director for Mano Amiga, said even when people get a citation rather than getting arrested, they still have to deal with legal obligations.

“So, people are still given a citation for these offenses, and they still have to go to jail at a later date. And so, they still have to pay court costs and fees, they still have to get an attorney, show up to court, multiple court dates,” Benavides said. “They’re still entering the legal system. So, we just think that it’s time to end all legal penalties for possession of marijuana. And our policy would only decriminalize up to a class A misdemeanor.”

Benavides said that Mano Amiga has gotten 270 signatures on the petition and that they still need more to reach the 10% required to get on the November ballot.

Benavides said that 10% of registered voters is about 4,400 people out of the  44,000 that are registered to vote in San Marcos.

San Marcos City Council member Maxfield Baker said he supports the move to decriminalize marijuana.

“I generally think that putting people in jail for nonviolent crimes is sort of a relic of the past, and something that we need to sort of move away from doing because it’s costly to taxpayers,” Baker said.

Baker also said he plans to sign the petition.

“I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the petition come forward with lots of signatures, I’m going to look forward to signing my own name on that,” Baker said.

Baker said he believes the petition will get enough signatures to be put on the November ballot.

“I do think it will end up on the ballot, I think that there’s plenty of progressive minded people in San Marcos, and, you know, the threshold that they have to meet isn’t really even that high, considering that it has to be, you know, 10% of registered voters,” Baker said.

Mano Amiga is holding a press conference on Jan. 24 in regard to the decriminalization of marijuana in San Marcos.

Austin voters will also have a chance to vote for marijuana decriminalization after a similar petition gained enough signatures to be put on the May election ballot.

To sign the petition voters can follow Mano Amiga on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on where Mano Amiga will be collecting signatures.