Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the City of Dallas and local officials, targeting a ballot measure that decriminalizes marijuana-related

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the city of Dallas weeks after the 'Dallas Freedom Act' to decriminalize cannabis was approved by voters.

Dallas is the sixth Texas city the attorney general has sued this year over marijuana decriminalization measures that he says conflicts with state law.

Ken Paxton's legal action follows similar suits against other cities like Austin and Denton, which have passed similar voter-supported mandates.

Dallas passed the charter amendment known as Proposition R, which decriminalizes possession of less than four ounces of marijuana. It also prevents police from using the odor of marijuana to establish probable cause to search people without a warrant.

Cannabis has fewer health risks than alcohol. And unlike alcohol, it has many health benefits. The American Medical Association, AARP, the American College of Physicians, and the federal government all agree cannabis can help patients. But Governor Greg Abbot has different ideas.

The state’s petition contends the measure conflicts with Section 481.121 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, which criminalizes marijuana possession in any amount, and Section 370.003 of the Texas Local Government Code, which expressly forbids municipalities from adopting policies that don’t fully enforce drug laws.

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton sued the city of Dallas on Thursday in an attempt to prevent the city from decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana after voters approved a ballot measure to do so.