Louisiana toughens drug penalties around schools
New punishments of jail time and $1,000 fine if caught smoking, vaping on or near school campuses.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Louisiana is increasing penalties on drug violations around schools and on school buses under a new law Gov. Jeff Landry signed Friday.
The change, passed as House Bill 568, updates the state’s “drug-free school zone” law to specifically cover people who are smoking, vaping or otherwise using controlled dangerous substances on school property, within 2,000 feet of that property, or on a school bus.
In a post to social media, Gov. Landry highlighted why he thinks the new law is needed.
“Like most of you, I’m tire of going to our college and high school campuses and being inundated with the smell of marijuana, and I’m tired of seeing drugs littering our high school and college campuses, hurting our students,” the governor said. “These drugs take away from the family-friendly environments that our colleges are supposed to be, especially on game days.”
If someone is convicted under the drug-free zone law, the new statute allows for harsher punishment — including a possible prison sentence of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
The new law takes effect August 1.
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