The governor of Louisiana has signed a bill into law that will streamline expungements for people with first-time marijuana possession convictions. About two weeks after the measure from Rep. Delisha Boyd (D) advanced through the legislature, Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) gave final approval on Monday. The legislation makes it so people who are convicted of possessing up to 14 grams of cannabis as a first offense can petition the courts to wipe their record after 90 days from the time… Read more.
The Louisiana Senate has approved a bill to streamline expungements for people with first-time marijuana possession convictions, sending it to the governor’s desk. The House first cleared the legislation from Rep. Delisha Boyd (D) last month, and it then moved through committee in the Senate before passing on the floor in a 32-7 vote on Monday. The measure makes it so people who are convicted of possessing up to 14 grams of cannabis as a first offense can petition the courts to… Read more.
The Louisiana House of Representatives has approved a bill to streamline expungements for people with first-time marijuana possession convictions. The legislation from Rep. Delisha Boyd (D) cleared the chamber in a 69-30 vote on Tuesday, sending it to the Senate. It makes it so people who are convicted of possessing up to 14 grams of cannabis as a first offense can petition the courts to wipe their record after 90 days from the time of the conviction. That would significantly… Read more.
Louisiana lawmakers on Tuesday killed a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state, the Lafayette Daily Advertiser reports. The House Criminal Justice Committee voted down the proposal 9-4. The measure was opposed by the state’s sheriffs, district attorneys, and police chiefs over public safety concerns and the impact of legalization on children. Ken Caldwell of the Marijuana Policy Project estimated that the state supports an illicit cannabis market of at least $1 billion. During testimony, state Rep. Candace Newell (R) argued that the… Read more.
During an April 18 Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, Louisiana State Senators Jay Morris and Stewart Cathey remarked that legalizing hemp products containing THC was not deliberate. According to The Daily Advertiser, during the meeting, Cathey stated that in the previous session, the Legislature inadvertently established a recreational THC market in Louisiana. He added that they did not intend to allow an unregulated psychoactive drug marketplace to be flooded throughout the state. Senate Bill 219 On April 10, Cathey put forward… Read more.
This week’s cover story by Kaylee Poche asks an important question: When will Louisiana finally, and fully, legalize cannabis? While the future of legal recreational cannabis may appear grim in light of conservatives’ hold on state politics, more and more Republicans — including some GOP lawmakers — are realizing prohibition doesn’t work. In fact, it hurts us all by unnecessarily criminalizing people while robbing the state of much needed revenue. As Louisiana Progress’ Peter Robins-Brown told Poche, the winds have… Read more.