Louisiana Legislators Voting Today on Legalization of Marijuana
So the first thing that occurred to me when I read that the Louisiana House of Representatives will finally vote today on the possible legalization of recreational marijuana in Louisiana is, "Will they only cast 'left handed' votes?"
After a number of delays, while the bill's author sought to gain enough support, the Louisiana House will finally determine the legitimacy of this proposition and determine it's fate in regards to being sent to the Louisiana Senate for yet another vote.
Richard Nelson, who's actually a member of the Republican party, a Mandeville Representative, authored the bill, and according to an article from the Louisiana Radio Network, he feels it's a sign of the times and growing change towards usage of recreational marijuana.
Nelson said, “The vote on decriminalization I think was kind of indicative of how attitudes are changing and I think was kind of indicative of the kind of groundwork we have laid with the legalization question” adding that he's pretty confident that he has enough support now to move this bill to the next stage of legislation.
According to Representative Nelson, the Sheriff’s Association is still opposed to the proposition but he feels they don't fully represent all of Louisiana's law enforcement.
“A lot of individual law enforcement boots on the ground officers, lots of them have told everybody, not just me but all the other legislators, many of them have come forward and said look we are tired of chasing potheads let’s go after the bad guys,” said Nelson.
The proposition comes on the heels of a recent Louisiana poll showing 67 percent overall citizen support for legalization.
Lawmakers will be voting on both legalization and taxation instruments.
Obviously this is a fluid story, so watch for an update and the results of the vote as it becomes available.