Bill would decriminalize possession, use of drug paraphernalia

Published: May 22, 2024

By: Jordyn Wilson, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Senate on Tuesday approved an amended version of a House bill that would decriminalize the possession and use of drug paraphernalia, such as pipes and bongs, by making it a civil offense punishable by a fine but no jail time. The Senate voted 24-14 to approve House Bill 165 after raising the proposed fines for repeat offenses. It sent the bill back to the House for concurrence with the changes.

“This is a common-sense bill,” said Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, who presented the bill in the Senate. “Currently, the possession of marijuana is less of a penalty than marijuana paraphernalia.”

Read more at L’ Observateur.