Marijuana laws in Louisiana should be more lenient, new poll results say

By Lauren McGaughy, NOLA.com | The Times Picayune 

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Over half of Louisianians polls this month said they would be in favor of following in Colorado and Washington’s footsteps in regulating and taxing the sale of recreational marijuana. (Brennan Linsley, The Associated Press)
Most Louisianians believe the state’s tough marijuana laws should be changed, according to poll results released Thursday by Public Policy Polling. The poll results were released just three months after lawmakers in Baton Rouge failed to pass legislation to lessen penalties for repeat offenders.
State law says anyone convicted of possessing any amount of marijuana — even a single joint — can be jailed up to six months on a first offense. A repeat offender can be sentenced up to five years and face up to a $2,500 fine, and anyone convicted three or more times is open to a 20-year jail sentence and up to a $5,000 fine.
 
Full Article:
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/09/marijuana_pot_louisiana_poll_p.html