By Dubem Akukwe

The Poke Press

A Louisiana law that took effect Aug. 1 increased penalties for marijuana-related offenses committed on and within 2,000 feet of school property, allowing up to a year of jail time and a fine up to $1000. 

Act 305, formerly House Bill 568, amended Louisiana’s existing drug-free-zone law. The new law includes added penalties for certain marijuana violations and language addressing smoking and vaping within the zone.  

For possessing 14 grams or less of marijuana, the general penalty is a fine of up to $100. Within a drug-free school zone, Act 305 allows a marijuana offense covered by Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 40:966(C)(2) to carry up to a year in prison, with or without hard labor, and a fine of up to $1,000. 

Rep. Gabe Firment, author of HB 568, said during the bill’s first committee hearing April 15 that the bill was intended to strengthen enforcement in school zones. 

“House Bill 568 is about one simple principle: drug-free school zones should actually be drug-free,” Firment said. 

Firment said law enforcement was seeing visible marijuana use on school campuses and during large public events, including college football games. 

“House Bill 568 creates a clear, behavior-based offense so that when someone is openly smoking, vaping or using drugs in a school zone, law enforcement can act, and prosecutors can prove the case,” Firment said. 

The Senate passed the bill May 18 with 23 voting in favor, 10 against and six senators absent. One of the votes in favor came from State Senator and McNeese State University President, Mike Reese, who told The Poke Press that he supported the bill from the beginning and hopes Act 305 will curtail drug use in drug-free school zones. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed the bill into law May 22. 

At McNeese, Police Chief William Scheufens said the department has investigated 10 Act 305 violations since the law took effect. 

Scheufens said the 2,000-foot area is measured from the exterior boundaries of campus and though McNeese does not currently have a map showing the boundary, they are currently exploring mapping options. 

“For the most part, incidents outside university property would be handled by another law enforcement agency,” Scheufens said. 

Since the law came into effect, the university has released information and flyers regarding Act 305. 

Chemical engineering student Damien Fiasconaro said he believes the stronger penalties could discourage people from smoking or vaping marijuana around campus. 

“I think it would definitely stop people from doing that,” Fiasconaro said. “If you read, ‘I’m going to go to jail,’ you’d probably not pull up at school with, you know, marijuana.” 

Fiasconaro also said he understood why the drug-free zone reaches 2000 ft beyond the physical boundaries of campus. 

“If the goal was to keep the school from smelling like weed, you know, you got to include that area,” Fiasconaro said.