Texas-Style Democracy: Sit Down and Shut Up

Stone Slade

04-24-2025

Original High At 9 News Story

It sure seems like in Texas, the government works real hard to make sure nobody gets a say in anything that might make sense.

Especially when it comes to cannabis. We’ve covered how cities like Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, and Denton passed local ordinances to stop arresting people for carrying a little weed. You know—local democracy in action, voters saying, “Hey, we’re tired of ruining lives over a joint.” But apparently, democracy only counts in Texas if it matches what the state already wanted to do. Otherwise, they’ll just sue you. And by “they,” I mean Attorney General Ken Paxton—who’s been dragging cities into court like it’s his hobby.

This past Wednesday, the Texas Senate has decided that suing cities one at a time isn’t enough. They want to make it illegal for cities to even ask voters about cannabis decriminalization in the future. That’s right—under Senate Bill 2212, local governments would be banned from putting cannabis-related initiatives on the ballot. You can’t vote on it, you can’t talk about it, and if you try to do it anyway, Paxton will probably show up with a stack of lawsuits and a moral superiority complex.

The bill, led by Senator Charles Perry—a man who seems determined to keep Texas firmly planted in 1952—doesn’t just ban future ballot measures. It adds a snitch form, courtesy of the Attorney General’s office, so people can report cities for not enforcing state drug laws. Seriously. We’re one hotline away from “Press 1 if your neighbor smells like skunk.”

This comes after Texas courts already sided with the state to overturn some of those voter-approved reforms. In one case, the 3rd Court of Appeals ruled San Marcos can’t decriminalize cannabis because it would “limit or prohibit” enforcement of the state’s drug laws. Which, in plain English, means the state’s laws don’t need to make sense—they just need to be enforced.

Here’s the kicker: Texans actually want cannabis reform. We’ve seen the polls. A majority support legalizing it for adult use. But we’re not allowed to vote on it. Not at the state level—because Texas doesn’t allow statewide ballot initiatives—and now, if the House passes this bill, not at the local level either.

So when politicians say “let the people decide,” they mean “the people we agree with.” Everyone else can sit down and shut up.

What’s even more insulting is the justification. Lawmakers say they’re doing this because cities are trying to “override state law.” As if voters in these cities just woke up one day and thought, “How can we defy the state today?” No—they’re trying to stop wasting police resources, stop