Yesterday, the Louisiana Sentencing Commission backed proposed legislation that would reduce penalties for simple possession of marijuana in Louisiana.

The legislation would reduce third-offense penalties to a maximum of five years in prison and a $2,000 fine. Those convicted a second time for possessing marijuana, under HB14, would face a maximum two-year term and a fine of no more than $500, which is down from the law’s five-year sentence and $2,000 fine. It would create a fourth- and subsequent-offense possession charge that carries a sentence of no more than eight years in prison and a $2,000 fine.

The legislation must pass before it becomes law.

Contact Carl Barkemeyer if you need a marijuana defense lawyer in Baton Rouge.