Louisiana is the worst state for simple possession sentencing.

quote:

---

It seems positively surreal that in the same USA where states like Colorado and Washington are legalizing cannabis, states like Louisiana are sending hapless souls up the river for possession of less than ounce -- but this is indeed the case.

New Orleans public interest attorney Bill Quigley speaks of the case of Corey Ladd, 27, a local man who on September 24 was sentenced by a city criminal court to a full 20 years of "hard labor" at a state facility for holding 15 grams -- that is, just slightly over half an ounce.

---

quote:

---

Louisiana certainly isn't interested in getting better. Citing ACLU stats, Quigley notes that Louisiana arrests about 13,000 people per year for cannabis, 60% of them African Americans and over 84% for possession only. Yet Louisiana's population is only 32% Black. This disparity makes it the 9th most discriminatory state nationwide.

---

quote:

---

The New Orleans Times-Picayune on September 5 cited a recent poll by Public Policy Polling in which 64% said they are against the strict penalties for repeat offenders, and more than half said they would favor a simple $100 fine for possession of an ounce or less.

---