More than a dozen cities and counties have directed local law enforcement to de-prioritize marijuana possession enforcement in their areas, either through voter initiatives or through action by elected officials. Some municipalities, such as Seattle and Santa Monica, are faithfully following the ordinances. Unfortunately, others seem to be ignoring the lowest priority measures. Please see the following chart for information on LLEP (lowest law enforcement priority) jurisdictions.
Jurisdiction | Year Passed | Vote Percentage |
Seattle, WA | 2003 | Passed with 58% of the vote. |
Oakland, CA | 2004 | Passed with 65% of the vote. |
Santa Barbara, CA | 2006 | Passed with 66% of the vote. |
Santa Cruz, CA | 2006 | Passed with 64% of the vote. |
San Francisco, CA | 2006 | San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the ordinance in an 8-3 vote. |
Santa Monica, CA | 2006 | Passed with 65% of the vote. |
West Hollywood, CA | 2006 | West Hollywood City Council passed the resolution in a 4-0 vote. |
Eureka Springs, AR | 2006 | Passed with 62% of the vote. |
Missoula County, MT* | 2006 | Passed with 54% of the vote. |
Denver, CO | 2007 | Passed with 55% of the vote. |
Fayetteville, AR | 2008 | Passed with 66% of the vote. |
Hawaii County, HI | 2008 | Passed with 53% of the vote. |
Hailey, ID | 2010 | The initiative passed with 51% of the vote in 2007, and again in 2008 with 54% of the vote, but due to a redaction by a district court judge, the measure did not officially go into effect until 2010. |
Kalamazoo, MI | 2011 | Passed with 66% of the vote. |
Tacoma, WA | 2011 | Passed with 65% of the vote. |
Ypsilanti, MI | 2012 | Passed with 74% of the vote. |
* In 2011, Missoula County prosecutor Fred Van Valkenburg convinced the state legislature to attempt to thwart the will of voters by passing a bill — H.B. 391 — saying that a local initiative cannot determine local police priorities. Whether the new law applies to Missoula County's ordinance — which is now an ordinance, not an initiative — has not been litigated. However, Van Valkenburg has said he is prosecuting marijuana possession again.