The Louisiana House Criminal Justice Committee today approved legislation that would give voters in each parish the opportunity to decide if recreational marijuana use should be legal.
Mandeville Representative Richard Nelson’s proposal passed on a seven to five vote. Nelson says taxing legal marijuana sales could generate as much as $200 million. He says some of that money can go towards beefing up law enforcement.
"I think giving police the ability to add more officers, add more training, add more detectives, to go chase the real bad guys, I think that's significant," said Nelson.
The Louisiana Sheriff Association and Louisiana District Attorneys Association disagree. St. Tammany and Washington Parish District Attorney Warren Montgomery says legalizing recreational marijuana will bring a host of problems.
"Name me a community where they've legalized marijuana and they've seen decreased crime," Montgomery challenged lawmakers. "Name me a community where they've legalized marijuana and you've seen decreased mental health issues."
If Nelson’s legislation gets majority support in the House and Senate, voters will decide if marijuana will be legalized with a vote in the November 2022 election.
