Proposition B to be voted on during Midterm Election

- By Avery Callens

The city of Denton has introduced a Marijuana Decriminalization Ordinance titled Proposition B to be voted on during the Midterm Elections on November, 8th.

Asked about this Ordinance were Gubernatorial Candidate- Beto O'Rourke, the head of Decriminalize Denton- Deb Armintor, and General Practitioner Dr. Callens discussed this issue further. They explained the journey it took to get this ordinance on the ballot, the legitimate danger of marijuana, and what this could mean for the citizens of Denton and the state of Texas as a whole.

On October 3rd, as part of his College Tour, Beto O’Rourke visited the University of North Texas to discuss what issues he is to tackle if elected into office. Beto Explains that as he’s listened to fellow Texans, most want to “do the right thing” and legalize marijuana. He further explains the benefits in doing so.

“In doing that we can ensure that we no longer put people behind bars who shouldn’t be serving time for possession of a substance that most of the rest of the country has made legal. We can bring in new revenues to the state and we can get right with those who’ve been unfairly treated in our criminal justice system in the past. So this is the right thing to do and I’m really proud of Denton for taking the lead on this issue.”

I met with the head of Decriminalize Denton, Deb Armintor, at Aura Coffee on Hickory Street to discuss what Proposition B is and what it took to get Proposition B on the ballot.

“So Proposition B is initiated by the people of Denton. It is doing the most the city can do to decriminalize cannabis at the city level. What it will do is it will ban arrest and citations for small marijuana possession 4 ounces or under- right now it’s 2 ounces so that will make a big difference. It will also ban the police from doing citations for paraphernalia in lieu of possession which is something that they do very frequently that is really harmful to a lot of people” explains Armintor. “Finally, it also prevents the city of Denton from paying a dime for THC Testing. A lot of money is wasted testing substances for THC content and that’s something that taxpayers are paying for.”

(Img. by Denton Record-Chronicle)

Armintor also mentions how Decriminalize Denton was created out of student concerns at the University of North Texas.

“So Decriminalize Denton actually started at UNT with a bunch of students: The local chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. They fought really hard to improve the policy at UNT, which (at the time) there was and still is really a draconian of students getting caught with cannabis which is very harmful for them.”

In terms of how dangerous marijuana is to the general population, I spoke with General Family Practitioner Dr. Don Callens who has over ten years of Emergency Room, General, and Prison Care experience.

“There is a danger here that we’re all aware of with Marijuana… an amotivational syndrome. With Alcohol we have the danger of a physical dependence with potential life threatening withdrawal. With marijuana the danger is nothing. Doing nothing, becoming nothing, a danger of being the guy who just smokes pot.”

Dr. Callens explains that those who use marijuana are, “Harmless, not a danger to society, but also not going anywhere. Maybe they weren’t really headed anywhere to begin with, maybe they’ll bounce back someday, we’ll see.”

The last day to register to vote on this issue is October 11th. To further support it, visit https://www.decrimdenton.org/ to volunteer or donate. Or check out the Decrim Denton Special going on at Aura Coffee in which a portion of each of their Decrim Denton drinks goes to the Denton Bail Fund and Decriminalize Denton.