Whitmire Says Marijuana Isn’t a Priority — So Why Are Arrests Up Nearly 1,300%?
Houston Mayor John Whitmire says low-level marijuana possession has not been much of a police priority “in, quite frankly, a long time.”
Houston Police Department arrest records tell a considerably different story.
Houston Public Media reporter Dominic Anthony Walsh obtained HPD data showing officers have arrested about 440 people per year for misdemeanor marijuana possession under Whitmire, compared with an average of only about 35 per year from 2021 through 2023. HPM characterized the increase as nearly 1,300 percent. (Muck Rack)
That is not a statistical bump.
That is a change in policing.
If It Isn’t a Priority, Why Are Police Arresting So Many More People?
The timing makes Whitmire’s statement particularly difficult to reconcile with the numbers.
When Houston City Council recently agreed to put the Houston Freedom Act before voters on November 3, Whitmire argued that its marijuana provision was unnecessary because low-level marijuana already wasn’t a priority for HPD. (Podscan)
The proposed charter amendment would require HPD to make enforcement of Class A and Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession its “lowest possible enforcement priority.” Nearly 40,000 Houstonians signed petitions to put the proposal before voters. (Ground Game Texas)
If marijuana already occupies the bottom of HPD’s list, someone may want to explain how arrests managed to rise more than twelvefold.
The Police Union Has an Answer
Houston Police Officers’ Union President Douglas Griffith apparently does not think Houstonians should be telling police what to prioritize.
HPM quoted Griffith telling supporters of the proposal to “shut up and let law enforcement do their job.” He then said police have better things to do than worry about a “petty marijuana case.” (Reddit)
That last part presents an obvious question.
If HPD has better things to do, why did marijuana arrests explode after Whitmire became mayor?
You cannot simultaneously tell Houstonians that marijuana cases are petty, that police have more important work to do, and then dramatically increase the number of people arrested for those petty cases.
And Who Is Getting Arrested?
There is another number in HPM’s reporting that deserves considerably more attention.
The five-year data showed that Black Houstonians accounted for about 74 percent of marijuana-related arrests, although Black residents make up less than one-quarter of Houston’s population. (Reddit)
That transforms the argument from one about marijuana into one about how police discretion is actually being used.
A law sitting quietly in the Texas Penal Code affects nobody until somebody decides whom to stop, whom to search, whom to cite, and whom to put in handcuffs.
Houston Gets to Decide
Tonight, Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Vikki Goodwin is scheduled to hold a “Legalize It! Houston THC Rally” at White Oak Music Hall as part of her campaign against Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s THC policies. (Rep. Vikki Goodwin)
And on November 3, Houston voters will get a much more consequential opportunity to speak for themselves.
The Houston Freedom Act would put the marijuana priority into the city charter rather than leaving the decision entirely to a mayor, police chief, or police union. (Ground Game Texas)
Whitmire says low-level marijuana isn’t a priority.
The police union says officers have better things to do.
The arrest records say something else.
Nearly 1,300 percent louder.
