The Louisiana House of Representatives approved a bill that streamlines expungements of first-time marijuana possession convictions.
The bill from Delisha Boyd, a Democratic Representative, was passed by the House on Tuesday with a vote of 69-30. It will now be sent to the Senate.
The law allows people convicted for possessing up 14 grams of marijuana as a first offence to petition the court to erase their record 90 days after the conviction.
This would speed up the process of relief as people are currently required to wait five years for certain records to be expunged.
In committee, the bill has been amended to clarify that misdemeanor marijuana cases can only involve 14 grams. A provision that waived court fees for the first time cannabis expungements was also removed.
The new measure caps fees at $300 for record clearing.
The bill states that “the clerk shall immediately forward the collected processing fees to the sheriff and district attorney…and the processing fee amount will be remitted in equal amounts immediately upon receipt to the district prosecutor’s office and sheriff general fund.”
The law also includes a template of a motion for expungement that can be filled out by the person and submitted to the court.
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While legalization of marijuana has been stalled by the Louisiana legislature in recent sessions, lawmakers have taken a number of steps to reform cannabis law and improve the state’s Medical Marijuana Program.
A bill that ensures that patients are eligible for unemployment benefits even if they have registered as medical cannabis patients recently passed a House Committee.
Legislators defeated separately a measure in committee which would have repealed an rarely used tax on illicit marijuana sales.
Late last year, a Louisiana legislative task group approved rules providing worker safety protections for medical marijuana patients.
Last year, regulators decided to continue allowing doctors to recommend medical marijuana via telemedicine.
Last session, Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed a number of marijuana reform laws. One of the most important measures is to expand the number medical dispensaries in the state. Another measure prevents police from searching homes based on the smell of marijuana.
According to a survey conducted by the University of New Orleans and released last year, nearly six out of ten Louisiana voters favor legalizing marijuana.
Edwards signed a bill for decriminalizing possession up to 14 grams cannabis in 2021. The fine was $100 and no jail time.
Edwards signed a 2021 bill that allows patients participating in the medical cannabis program of the state to smoke marijuana flowers in their whole plant form.
He also said previously that he believes that Louisiana is going to legalize adult-use cannabis eventually, but that it won’t happen before the end of his term in 2024.
The article Louisiana House approves Marijuana Expunction Bill, sending it to Senate first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
