Under current law, someone convicted of possession of marijuana for a second time can face up to five years in jail. Third and subsequent convictions can land someone in jail for up to 20 years.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The House narrowly agreed Wednesday to a proposal that would lessen the sentences for people convicted of marijuana possession in Louisiana.
Under current law, someone convicted of possession of marijuana for a second time can face up to five years in jail. Third and subsequent convictions can land someone in jail for up to 20 years.
The bill by Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans, would cut that jail time. A second conviction could carry a sentence up to one year. A third conviction could send someone to jail for up to two years and additional convictions would carry a sentence up to five years.
The proposal also would remove possession of marijuana as a possible offense for which someone could be convicted under the state's habitual offender law that could increase jail time.
Lawmakers in the House voted 54-38 for the bill, one vote more than was needed for passage. The measure heads to the Senate for consideration.