A rendering of a green road sign with marijuana leaf for Louisiana
Good news for Louisianans with prior marijuana possession convictions. A bill that will allow the expungement of these convictions has not only passed both the House and Senate in the state but is on its way to the desk of Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards to sign into law.
The measure, known as House Bill 286, will facilitate first-time marijuana possession offenders to file a request for an expungement of their records within 90 days of their conviction. The current law calls for a waiting period of five years.
Current law mandates a waiting period of five years. The costs of the filing will be capped at $300.
Bipartisan support for the bill was overwhelming as House lawmakers passed the bill by a vote of 69 to 30 while Senators passed the measure by a vote of 32 to 7.
To Kevin Caldwell, a legislative manager at Marijuana Policy Project, a marijuana policy reform organization, the measure is certainly the step in the right direction.
“Louisiana has one the most complex and expensive expungement processes in the nation," he said in a public statement. "This legislation offers tens of thousands of Louisianans the opportunity to clear their criminal record and continue their lives in a fruitful and productive manner. A single cannabis possession charge should not limit so many people for housing, employment, professional licenses and educational loan opportunities. Louisiana is proud to, once again, be at the forefront of legislative cannabis policy reform in the South.”
Nearly half of all U.S. states have laws that either provide pathways to expunge the records of low-level marijuana convictions or set them aside altogether. Since 2018, state and local officials have issued over 100,000 pardons and nearly 1.8 million marijuana-related expungements, according to data compiled by NORML, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit that advocates for marijuana laws reform.
Currently, Louisiana has a legal medical cannabis market; however, in 2021, Governor John Bel Edwards signed a bill that decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana.