Louisiana
Louisiana’s crime-focused special legislative session begins
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Under a new era of conservative leadership, Louisiana’s GOP-dominated Legislature will gather Monday for a special legislative session that could reshape the state’s criminal justice system and the public safety sector.
Among the more than two dozen bills filed ahead of session is legislation that proposes expanding methods to carry out death row executions, restricting parole eligibility, harsher penalties for carjackings, “immunity from liability” for law enforcement based upon certain criteria and publicizing some juvenile court records.
Some lawmakers say the tough-on-crime policy proposals prioritizes victims and will keep criminals behind bars and off Louisiana streets. Others worry the slew of legislation won’t address the immediate issue of violent crimes plaguing the state, but instead would undo bipartisan and historic reforms that were passed under Landry’s Democratic predecessor.
Here are some bills and topics that will be debated during the scheduled two-and-half-week session.
DEATH PENALTY METHOD EXPANSION
Like other reliably red states that have seen executions stall, Louisiana lawmakers are looking to expand methods to carry out the death penalty. The Deep South state is exploring adding the newest execution technique of oxygen deprivation using nitrogen gas, which was used in Alabama last month, and bringing back electrocution.
Currently, 58 people sit on Louisiana’s death row but an execution has not occurred since 2010. Under the bill, filed by Republican state Rep. Nicholas Muscarello, lethal injection would remain the preferred method in Louisiana.
PAROLE RESTRICTIONS
There are several bills that would add various parole conditions and restrictions, reducing the chance of parole eligibility and time offenders can have taken off their sentences for good behavior.
REPEAL “RAISE THE AGE” LAW
On Landry’s agenda this session, he wants lawmakers to roll back the state’s “Raise the Age” law that was passed by lawmakers in 2016. The law, which was a key criminal justice reform in the state, stopped automatically routing 17-year-olds through the adult criminal justice system when arrested for non-violent crimes, instead steering them to the juvenile prosecution system.
TOUGHER PENALTIES
Lawmakers have filed bills proposing harsher sentences and penalties for certain crimes — including carjacking and weapons offenses.
One bill would make the distribution of fentanyl to minors a crime that is punishable by 25 to 99 years in jail without parole.
LEGAL PROTECTIONS FOR POLICE
At least two bills have been filed, that seek to further legally protect officers — giving them and law enforcement some immunity from liability “based upon certain criteria”
One bill proposes that “liability shall not be imposed on any peace officer… based upon the conduct or actions of a peace officer in the performance of any discretionary function within the course and scope of his duties.” A second bill, “Prohibits civil claims against peace officers and certain public entities based upon the conduct or actions of a peace officer in the performance of any discretionary function within the course and scope of his law enforcement duties.”
CONCEALED CARRY
Lawmakers once again will try to advance a bill that would allow people in Louisiana who are 18 or older to carry concealed guns without a permit.
The closest Louisiana has been to enacting a permitless concealed carry law was in 2021, when the bill passed the House and Senate. However Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed the measure.
For a full list of bills filed, visit the Louisiana State Legislature website.
Louisiana
Governor’s Office of Strategic Community Initiatives | Office of Governor Jeff Landry
Driving Louisiana Forward Program
Commerical Driver’s License (CDL) Training
In partnership with the Louisiana Workforce Commission and South Louisiana Community College, this program aims to provide African American males with financial assistance to obtain Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training, strengthening the resilience and contributions of this key demographic and improving equitable access to workforce opportunities. This initiative aims to reduce high unemployment rates within this community but also focuses on ensuring participants come from rural and economically disadvantaged areas.
Earn your CDL Class A license with this comprehensive classroom and behind-the-wheel program to drive tractor[1]trailers, dump trucks, tow trucks, delivery trucks, tanker trucks, and flatbed trucks.
Louisiana
Landry asks Louisiana’s Washington delegation to redraw federal judicial districts
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Gov. Jeff Landry is asking Louisiana’s congressional leaders to amend the state’s federal judicial districts, citing caseload growth and public safety concerns.
Landry sent letters to Speaker Mike Johnson, Sen. John Kennedy, Congressman Cleo Fields, and Congresswoman Julia Letlow requesting the change.
The request
Louisiana is currently divided into three federal judicial districts: Eastern, Middle, and Western. Landry is asking that West Feliciana Parish be moved from the Middle District to the Western District.
In the letters, Landry cited significant growth in the Middle District and an increased caseload for its judges. He said a major driver of the Middle District docket is Louisiana State Penitentiary.
Public safety argument
Landry said moving West Feliciana Parish into the Western District would improve judicial efficiency and better address public safety needs in East Baton Rouge Parish and the state.
He said East Baton Rouge Parish continues to battle violent crime. According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, recent numbers show violent crime in the parish has decreased.
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Louisiana
Louisiana medical marijuana leader touts industry growth, safety: ‘We’ve done it right.’
After over five years of legal cannabis sales in the state, Good Day Farm Louisiana President John Davis maintains that Louisiana’s medical marijuana market is the best in the South.
At a Rotary Club meeting Wednesday, Davis touted the industry’s safety, oversight and stability, factors he says are why Louisiana is ahead of other states that have legalized marijuana sales.
“The program has matured,” Davis said at the meeting. “It’s scaled, and most importantly, compared to all these other states that got out ahead of us, here we’re safe, we’re consistent, we’re regulated, we have oversight, and we have economic stability, which is not seen in other states.”
The Louisiana Department of Health regulates the industry from cultivation to retail in what Davis describes as a “very narrow playing field.”
Good Day Farm is one of two licensed cannabis growers that cultivate products for the 10 licensed retailers in the state. The company originally partnered with the LSU Agricultural Center to operate growing facilities in Ruston and Baton Rouge. They also operate dispensaries, including a 10,000-square-foot retail location in Lake Charles, the largest dispensary in the South.
Good Day Farm Louisiana distributes approved medical marijuana products to licensed dispensaries in Louisiana. Ilera Holistic Healthcare holds the other cannabis growing license in the state.
The medical marijuana patient base has boomed over the past two years. From the first quarter of 2024 to the last quarter of 2025, the number of patients has more than doubled, according to data Davis presented at the meeting. Nearly 150,000 people in Louisiana are part of the state’s medical marijuana program — that’s 3.2% of the state’s population.
With increased access to the product, a wide variety of products and an expanding consumer base, prices have fallen. Average prices across all products, which include cannabis flower, tinctures, vape devices and edibles, is about $47, Davis said, and overall medical marijuana prices have dropped about 21% from mid-2024 to January this year.
Stigma surrounding marijuana has fallen, too, he said, crediting the state’s growers and retailers acting as “good stewards” for the industry’s stability.
“The legislature sees how we’re behaving,” he said in an interview following the meeting. “The regulators see how we’re operating, and we’ve done a very good job staying in our swim lane and complying with the rules.”
Product safety is top of mind, too — 98.5% of Good Day Farm products have passed the state department of health’s tests to ensure the potency of the products matches the potency printed on the labels, he said.
Davis touted Louisiana’s strong regulation of the medical marijuana market amid other state’s challenge to manage the growing industry. In Oklahoma, a study commissioned by the state’s marijuana authority found that the marijuana supply is at least 32 times greater than demand in the state. Washington and Oregon have also struggled with marijuana surpluses.
“We’re a strong state,” Davis said. “We’ve done it right.”
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