For the first time ever, after three Republicans agreed to move a measure forward, a bill to legalize recreational cannabis in Louisiana advanced from a House committee Tuesday to progress for broader debate.
The bill’s advancement, first reported by News Star, Mandeville Republican Representative Richard Nelson’s House Bill 524 to legalize adult-use cannabis cleared the House Criminal Justice Committee on a 7-5 vote, advancing to the full House. Not only that, a second bill by New Orleans Democratic Representative Candace Newell to decriminalize cannabis (House Bill 243) also cleared the committee on Tuesday.
Medical cannabis is already legal in Louisiana, and efforts to expand that program are also gaining momentum, with the full House last week approving a bill by Pro-tem Tanner Magee, (R-Houma), to add smokable cannabis to the state’s medical program.
Nelson says he filed House Bill 524 to make cannabis legal for adults 21 and older in an effort to make it safer and to generate tax revenue. The bill would also allow local parishes and municipalities to opt out.
Nelson also estimated that adult-use cannabis would generate $100 million to $200 million in annual tax revenue, but setting the framework on taxing would need to be handled in a companion bill that has yet to have its first hearing.
Overall, the final passage of the bill is still likely a long shot, though Governor John Bel Edwards has softened his position on cannabis legalization over time, after previously opposing it. He says that he will reserve judgment until the bill hits his desk, which would need passage by the entire Legislature.
“I’m not going to speculate on that now, but I have great interest in what it says,” Edwards said regarding the bill.
Opponents of the bill cite increased auto accidents as a reason to kill the bill. Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Michael Ranatza specifically spoke out on the bill. “Is $100 million worth the death of my child, my grandchild? If you are to legalize this, you’ll own it. You’ll own the liability for it. I don’t know if we’re prepared for that at this time. I really think we haven’t thought this process forward.”
The bill’s momentum comes in the recent surge of states moving to legalize the recreational adult use of cannabis. A March 2021 poll by JMC Analytics and Polling, commissioned by the Louisiana Association for Therapeutic Alternatives, showed 67 percent of respondents favor legalization.
