Houston voters have approved Proposition A, a charter amendment that changes how the Houston Police Department handles certain marijuana offenses and prohibits officers from requesting or executing no-knock search warrants.
The proposition, also known as the Houston Freedom Act, combines two policing policies into a single amendment to the city’s charter.
Under the measure, HPD must make enforcement of Class A and Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession its lowest law-enforcement priority. The amendment also establishes reporting requirements related to marijuana enforcement.
However, the measure does not legalize marijuana. Possession remains illegal under Texas law, and officers may still enforce state marijuana laws.
The second provision prohibits Houston police officers from requesting, executing or participating in search warrants that do not require officers to knock, announce their presence and wait at least 15 seconds before entering.
The issue of no-knock warrants gained significant attention in Houston following the deadly 2019 Harding Street raid, which left homeowners Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas dead and several officers wounded.
Supporters of Proposition A argued that the changes would allow police to focus resources on more serious crimes while reducing the risks associated with no-knock raids. Opponents questioned how the restrictions would affect law enforcement operations and raised concerns about conflicts with state law.
Because both provisions appeared together on the ballot, voters could not approve one without the other.
The amendment adds the new policies to Houston’s City Charter, although questions about implementation and their interaction with state law may still need to be addressed.
