As of January 1, 2022, Louisiana will become the latest state to embrace the legalization of marijuana. After lengthy debates and negotiations, the Louisiana State Legislature passed a bill to legalize cannabis for medical, recreational, and industrial purposes. This groundbreaking legislation marks a major victory for the state, as well as a huge stride forward in the nationwide effort to end marijuana prohibition. With this new law, Louisiana joins a growing number of states that are embracing the potential of marijuana and its many benefits. This new law promises to bring significant economic benefits to the state, as well as create thousands of jobs and generate millions in tax revenue. It will also bring much-needed relief to those suffering from medical conditions, as well as provide an alternative for those seeking recreational use. This is a major moment for the state of Louisiana, and one that will reverberate across the nation for years to come.
Medicinal use is allowed with a physicians written recommendation for any debilitating condition. Prior to statewide decriminalization, possession of small amounts of marijuana was first decriminalized in the cities of New Orleans , Baton Rouge , and Shreveport. Sources give varying dates for the prohibition of cannabis in Louisiana , generally either 2 or Despite this law, and newspaper accounts of contemporaneous cannabis use in New Orleans , in there were only 30 marijuana convictions in the entire state. On June 30, , Governor Bobby Jindal signed SB , which significantly reduced penalties for possession of cannabis. The reduced penalties took effect August 1, Possession of more than 14 grams and illegal distribution still carry harsh penalties. According to Louisiana legislature, cannabis is described as any part of the cannabis plant that can be used to either grow more of the cannabis plant or any part that can be used as a drug. However, the legislature states that the stems of the plant are not illegal to have as long as the stems are being used for fiber production the seeds are also allowed to be owned under government law as long as they are not fertile and not capable of growing a new plant. Despite medical marijuana being decriminalized, it is still possible to be arrested if you are operating a motor vehicle under the influence. In , a study was performed that studied the bail amounts of white and non-white inmates who were arrested for possession of marijuana. The study took into account race, gender, amount of product on the persons when arrested, and what state the individual lived in. After conducting the study, Lee and Ruiz found that people of color had a much higher bail amount than white individuals who were arrested for the same crime. On June 30, , Governor Bobby Jindal signed HB , which sets up a framework for dispensing marijuana for medical purposes. HB allows any licensed doctor in good standing with the state to recommend cannabis for any condition the doctor considers debilitating to an individual patient and is qualified through his medical education and training to treat. Possession of up to 2. Some states allow the sales of cannabis products as long as the level of THC is below a certain threshold, but Louisiana deems it necessary to have any products that contain THC be at the lowest possible levels. Men were also found to be three times more likely to be taking prescription opioids while taking medical marijuana than women. Their findings have also stated that women are much more likely to have suffered some form of psychosis in the past before their medical marijuana prescription. A study was conducted during the height of the COVID pandemic studying how recreational marijuana usage is prevalent in college students. This study follows individuals located in Louisiana. Louisiana was chosen to be the location of this study since it was one of the states with the highest COVID cases and deaths. After conducting this study, the researchers found that these college students were starting to behave differently and started having trouble processing and understanding their own emotions. The marijuana was not said to cause these emotions on their own, but exacerbate the already underlying feelings. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Medicinal marijauna laws in the South Central U. Arts Culture. Drug culture Illegal drug trade Psychedelia. Transformative Health Center. Retrieved March 24, Belenko January 1, Greenwood Press. ISBN Kandall Harvard University Press. Wilson October 22, Center for Louisiana Studies Retrieved June 30, Retrieved June 8, Retrieved April 27, PMC PMID PBS NewsHour. August 6, Retrieved March 28, June 7, December 6, ISSN Cannabis in the United States. Leary v. United States Ravin v. State Conant v. Walters United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative Gonzales v. Raich Moncrieffe v. Holder Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration Virgin Islands. List of United States cannabis regulatory agencies Cannabis product testing Rescheduling. Anslinger Dispensaries. Hidden categories CS1 maint url-status Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Use mdy dates from April Namespaces Article Talk. Views Read Edit View history. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. Download as PDF Printable version. Wikimedia Commons. Add links. Related Drug culture Illegal drug trade Psychedelia. Cannabis portal Medicine portal Agriculture portal.
Louisiana lawmakers may put incarceration back on the table for possession of modest amounts of marijuana, but only for children and teenagers under age Adults would still be able to avoid prison time if caught with marijuana joints , even for repeat offenses. House Bill would impose harsher penalties on children and teenagers than adults.