By: Nicole Potter

The Louisiana House of Representatives recently passed a bill to improve the state’s expungement program for cannabis possession convictions. Rep. Delisha Boyd sponsored the bill, which passed with a 69-30 vote. “House Bill 286 is a request for a reduction in expungement fees in first offense marijuana. I’ve worked closely with the DA association, sheriffs, and the clerks, to put this bill in its proper posture,” Boyd said at the hearing on May 23.

The Louisiana House Democratic Caucus recently posted on social media about the bill’s passing as well. “This bill passed the House today and will make it easier for people to get the post-conviction relief and justice they need and deserve. #LaLege #LaGov.”

By: Greg Larose

An attempt to unlink a long-running anti-drug effort for students from a legally questionable funding source failed Thursday in the Louisiana House Judiciary Committee.

More than 40 Louisiana sheriffs staff Drug Abuse Resistance Education programs, or DARE for short, with about 160 deputies, according to the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association. One of DARE’s funding streams comes from a $100 fee placed on defendants found guilty of certain drug offenses in their parishes.

By: Eric Grossman

Whether you’re walking down Bourbon Street or chilling in one of the parks along the Mississippi River, chances are you’re going to encounter cannabis in the Big Easy. After all, New Orleans is a global mecca for having a good time.

But despite the city’s feel-good status, Louisiana weed laws don’t follow that same chilled-out vibe. So before you go lighting up a joint or passing around edibles, be sure to take a moment to learn about the city’s weed laws. It’s a little complicated, so we tapped a handful of experts and wrote up a guide to help you out—here’s everything you need to know about legal weed in New Orleans and Louisiana before your next visit.

By: Kaylee Poche

When Colorado and Washington first passed legislation legalizing recreational cannabis in 2012, they were anomalies in a country that at the federal level puts the plant in the same category as heroin.

At the time, conventional wisdom held that legal recreational cannabis would never spread much beyond a handful of states. But with Rhode Island, Maryland and Missouri becoming the most recent of 21 states to legalize recreational cannabis, nearly half of Americans now live in a state where it’s legal.

By: Victor Skinner

A Louisiana legislative task force held multiple meetings on Tuesday to explore and craft recommendations to resolve employment issues concerning medical marijuana.

Three subcommittees of the Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force convened to discuss a variety of employment issues involving medical marijuana, from employment protections in other states to current testing options, to specific concerns for “safety sensitive” jobs like firefighters and first responders.

By: Wesley Muller

With medical marijuana now available to Louisiana’s workforce, employees have raised concerns that they could be fired or face other job-related repercussions for testing positive for a legal drug taken on the advice of a physician. A new state panel is searching for solutions to this potential problem that will protect workers and employers.

Three subcommittees of the Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force met Tuesday to discuss different aspects of the issue and all arrived at the same question: How strictly can the state regulate the private sector with regards to medical marijuana?

By: Chris Rosato

Now that President Biden has pardoned all marijuana possession charges at the federal level, what will that mean for those sitting with charges by the state of Louisiana?

The much-anticipated move from the White House comes just weeks before the midterm elections. People in Louisiana with those state-level offenses will still need to wait for the state to figure out what the next move will be, according to officials.

By: Paul Murphy

Right now, there are more than 43,000 medical marijuana patients in Louisiana.

The number has expanded dramatically since the state authorized the smokeable version of the drug.