Louisiana will decriminalize minor cannabis possession on August 1st

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Starting August 1, Louisiana police will no longer be allowed to jail people if they have small amounts of weed.

This Tuesday, Governor John Bel Edwards signed a law decriminalizing the possession of up to 14 grams of cannabis. Under the state’s existing Prohibition Act, anyone caught with this amount of pot can face up to 15 days in prison and a fine of up to $ 300. When the new law goes into effect this August, that penalty will be reduced to a maximum fine of $ 100 with no possibility of jail time.

“This is a much needed policy change for Louisiana,” said Carly Wolf, NORML State Policies manager, in a statement. “The passage of this law is a great step forward in ending the racially discriminatory policy of branding otherwise law-abiding Louisians as criminals for petty offenses involving marijuana, while law enforcement should instead focus on fighting legitimate crime.”

“This decision was not an easy one for me,” said Governor Edwards in a press release. “In addition to carefully reviewing the bill, I firmly believe that the state of Louisiana should no longer lock people up for minor violations of the law, especially those that are legal in many states that can ruin lives, destroy families, and cost taxpayers.” . “

The governor also wrote that the new law doesn’t actually “decriminalize” cannabis, as criminals still have to pay fines if caught with weed. However, this law falls under the legalization definition of most reform proponents, as the police can no longer put people in jail for these minor offenses.

“This move was passed by the Louisiana Legislature with bipartisan support after a solid discussion took place on the toll of excessive incarceration on our people and our state,” said Edwards. “This move is another step forward in criminal justice reform efforts in Louisiana.”

State lawmakers also just passed another bill that would allow any registered medical marijuana patient to legally smoke whole plant flowers. Edwards has not yet indicated whether he will sign the bill, but he agreed to a major expansion of the state’s medical marijuana program last year, so he may disagree with that too.

Earlier this year, a Republican legislature actually proposed an adult legalization bill, but it was quickly shot down in the state house. Governor Edwards has long said he would oppose any legislative effort to fully legalize weed, but his mind has changed in recent months. In a recent radio interview, the governor said that he believes the Pelican State will legalize cannabis at some point, but not until his term ends in 2023.

“There is a growing awareness that this will one day happen in Louisiana,” the governor said on a recent radio appearance, Marijuana Moment reported. “It’s on the rise, and it could certainly happen here in Louisiana.” But even so, Edwards said, “he would be surprised if there is consensus in the legislature to do this while I am governor.”