The group Decriminalize Denton is taking legal action to intervene in a lawsuit that Attorney Ken Paxton filed last week against Denton and four other cities that have ordinances decriminalizing low levels of marijuana use.
Decriminalize Denton announced Monday that it filed a petition seeking dismissal of Paxton’s lawsuit on the grounds that it has no legal standing.
According to court documents, the city manager and police chief “refused to implement the ordinance, and Paxton can’t prove that the state was harmed.”
Deb Armintor, a former city council member and one of the founders of Decriminalize Denton, said Paxton’s lawsuit was filed to shift scrutiny from his legal troubles.
“This was a democratically decided ordinance,” she said.
On Wednesday, Paxton announced that he is suing Denton and four other Texas cities that passed ordinances in 2022 decriminalizing marijuana use of less than four ounces. Paxton said the cities of Denton, Elgin, Killeen, Austin and San Marcos are violating state law and the Texas constitution.