Don’t be fooled by news of “cite and release” policies regarding marijuana possession going into effect in Dallas County Dec. 1, 2017. That’s not happening on Cedar Creek Lake.

Law enforcement officials in the Cedar Creek Lake area said anyone caught with marijuana will be headed for the county jail for at least one real expensive, uncomfortable night.

Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse launched a war on drugs when he took office, and he said marijuana is a “gateway” to harder drugs that he will continue to deal with severely.

Efforts in the 2017 Texas Legislature to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana failed, and it remains a serious offense subject to harsh state laws.

Even in Dallas County, offenders may escape a night in jail, but they are still in for a costly day in court and whatever punishment the prosecutors and judges deem appropriate.

Marijuana remains illegal to produce, possess, use or sell in Texas, although a house bill made its way through the legislative session further than ever before in Texas with bipartisan support. It called for eliminating criminal penalties for possession of less than once ounce of marijuana. It would have made the possession charge comparable to a traffic ticket.

The bill, which ended up with 41 bipartisan co-authors, passed the Texas House's Criminal Jurisprudence Committee by a 4-2 vote, getting scheduled for a vote by the calendars committee.

A floor vote never occurred though because the conservative Texas Freedom Caucus stalled it before a key house deadline.

Texas Rep. Lance Gooden, who represents much of Cedar Creek Lake, said the majority of his constituents tell him they want marijuana laws to remain as they are now.