Marijuana Decriminalization In Texas' Most Populous County Begins Friday

Harris County is Texas’ most populous county, and is the third most populous county in all of America. There are an estimated 4.337 (2013) million people in Harris County, Texas. To put that into perspective, there are less than 4 million people in the entire state of Oregon. Starting Friday, marijuana will be decriminalized for all first time offenders that are caught with up to two ounces of marijuana, per the directive of Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson.

The public policy mandate is an expansion of the ‘First Chance Intervention Program’ which was introduced by DA Anderson in 2014. Up until this point, the program has been up to the officer’s discretion, which has resulted in a 22% referral rate to the program. Starting Friday, 100% of cases that fit the program’s criteria will be referred to it. Per Houston Public Media:

“If it’s offered at the pre-arrest stage,

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