Louisiana ends jail sentence for small amounts of marijuana

BATON ROUGE, LA – People in Louisiana caught with small amounts of marijuana will soon face a fines for offense and no jail sentence, according to a law that Governor John Bel Edwards announced on Tuesday that he signed the law .

The new law comes into force on August 1, 2021.

The move, sponsored by Shreveport MP Cedric Glover, a Democrat, received tight, non-partisan support in the legislature that ended Thursday. With the signature of the democratic governor, the new law comes into force on August 1st.

Glover’s bill renders possession of up to 14 grams of marijuana – half an ounce – an offense that can be fined up to $ 100 with no prison sentence, even for repeat offenses.

“This is not a decision that I have taken lightly,” said Edwards in his statement announcing the signing of the bill.

He described the legislation as another step in Louisiana’s “criminal justice reform efforts.”

Possession of up to half an ounce is an offense, with a fine of $ 100 and no prison sentence – even for repeated offenses.

“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 and families and cost taxpayers.” “Said Edwards.

Several Louisiana communities had fined instead of arrest for possession of small amounts of cannabis, and Louisiana had a legal medical marijuana program for several years. Nonetheless, opponents of the bill expressed concerns that reducing sentences for marijuana would lead to broader substance abuse problems in Louisiana.

While the House of Representatives and Senate decided to end prison sentences for small amounts of cannabis, lawmakers refused to legalize recreational marijuana.

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