On Tuesday, June 15, Gov. Edwards signed House Bill 652, by Rep. Cedric Glover, into law. The bill removes incarceration as a punishment for possessing 14 grams or less of marijuana and makes the new maximum penalty a $100 fine or a summons.   

BATON ROUGE, LA | June 15, 2021—Louisiana Progress was proud to join Rep. Cedric Glover in his effort to pass House Bill 652, which will eliminate jail or prison time as a punishment for possession of 14 grams of marijuana or less. It will also reduce the fine for that offense to a maximum of $100 or a court summons.

House Bill 652 will go into effect on August 1, 2021, and will make Louisiana the first state in the Deep South, and only the second state in all of the South, to significantly reform its criminal laws regarding marijuana.

"In a period during our country’s history when consensus evades us on so many important issues, the Louisiana Legislature found common ground this year around the belief that the possession of small amounts of marijuana should no longer lead to either jail time or becoming a felon,” said State Rep. Cedric Glover, who went on to add that, “This consensus would not have been possible without the leadership of Reps. C. Denise Marcelle, Alan Seabaugh, Candace Newell, Richard Nelson, Sen. Jay Luneau, Louisiana Progress, all of my colleagues who voted in favor of HB652, and the legions of Louisiana citizens who reached out and encouraged them to do so. Going forward I hope that we can build upon the common ground we have found and move even closer to the more just and equitable Louisiana that we all deserve."

“This is a huge step forward in the movement to reform our criminal legal system,” according to Peter Robins-Brown, Policy & Advocacy Director at Louisiana Progress. “No one, and no part of our society, benefits from criminalizing people for possessing small amounts of marijuana. The current system of punishment has had a particularly negative effect on younger, poorer, and Blacker and browner folks, who represent the groups most likely to be targeted for harsh punishments for marijuana possession.”

This reform has been a long time coming. Legislators like Rep. Ted James and former Sen. Tony Giarusco have been filing similar bills for years and even decades. Advocates, including Common Sense NOLA and the Cannabis Council of Louisiana, have been fighting for just as long to make it a reality. This is truly a collective victory for the people of Louisiana and those who have fought for so long for a more just and equitable approach to drug policy in our state.

Louisiana Progress is a resource for progressive research, policy, and advocacy in Louisiana. We work with partner organizations, advocates, and state and local legislators to build a state that uplifts all of its people.

Who: Louisiana Progress, Rep. Cedric Glover

What: Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signs HB652 into law, making Louisiana the first state in the Deep South to significantly reform its marijuana laws.

When: June 15, 2021

Contact:

Peter Robins-Brown, Policy & Advocacy Director, Louisiana Progress, (504) 256-8196, peter@louisianaprogress.org