LESSENS PENALTIES FOR PERSONAL USE — Louisiana House lawmakers have agreed to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use. Tuesday night's 67-25 vote for Rep. Cedric Glover’s House bill 652 represents a major change and a sign of shifting opinions about marijuana, after similar measures have failed repeatedly to gain traction in prior years.
"The possession of a small amount of marijuana should no longer result in two things," Glover said. "One, it should not result in a path that leads you to becoming a convicted felon. And neither should it set you on a path to go to prison."
" . . . it should not result in a path that leads you to becoming a convicted felon. And neither should it set you on a path to go to prison." Rep. Cedric Glover (D) , La. 4th District
The Shreveport Democrat’s bill now heads to the Senate Chamber for debate. Glover’s bill focuses on personal use and not production or distribution. If signed into law it would make possession of up to 14 grams, less than an ounce of marijuana, a misdemeanor carrying a fine up to $100, even for repeat offenses. Glover’s bill was fashioned after a similar Bi-Partisan ordinance that was adopted by the Shreveport City Council a few weeks earlier, becoming the third city in Louisiana to do so.
