Notorious for its strict marijuana laws, Louisiana is looking at legalized weed as a way to get out of debt. What will happen to its prisoners?
One of the harshest states on pot offenders is reportedly exploring the idea of a recreational marijuana program. Saddled with $850 million in state debts, experts say Louisiana’s move is less motivated by safety as it is by money.
The idea to offset a colossal deficit with legal pot was allegedly born out of concern from lawmakers backing two bills that may cause budget cuts. Combined with the news that Colorado raked in $900 million from its marijuana program in 2015, it may be enough to get conservative pot prohibitionists to change their tune
“I think they’re looking at it strictly as a profit-driven, tax-based incentive,” Kevin Caldwell, Executive Director of Commonsense NOLA, a non-partisan organization fighting for legalization, says of the rumblings about legalizing. Caldwell is excited about the legalization talk, and says New Orleans, which decriminalized it in 2010, has been paving the way.
But even Caldwell, who has devoted his life to the cause, isn’t getting his hopes up yet. [Read more at The Daily Beast]
