La. governor signs recriminalization bill into law

We have deeply disappointing news.

Governor Jeff Landry signed HB 568 into law. Starting August 1, using cannabis within 2,000 feet of any school property in Louisiana will be a felony. The penalty will be up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

To put that in perspective: a 2,000-foot radius is 0.38 miles. In vast areas of cities and suburbs, ordinary residents will be at risk of felony charges simply for consuming cannabis in their own homes. Felony convictions carry devastating, life-long consequences: loss of employment, housing, and voting rights, to name a few.

This is a staggering increase from the current penalty. Now, possessing up to 14 grams of cannabis carries a fine of up to $100, with no jail time. 

This bill didn't happen quietly. Governor Landry personally lobbied legislators to pass it, and his own team presented the bill in committee hearings. After signing it, he stated on X that the legislation was prompted by smelling cannabis at college and high school football games. If that was genuinely his concern, targeted campus smoking restrictions would have addressed it. Instead, he chose to recriminalize large swaths of Louisiana cities.

Worse, the bill's sponsor refused amendments that would have narrowed its scope.

Laws like this have a well-documented history of being enforced unevenly — falling hardest on low-income communities and communities of color.