Recreational Marijuana Proposal Goes Before Committee Today

Should smoking pot remain a crime? Is smoking  pot the same as having a cold beer or a cocktail? How much money could Louisiana raise on taxing marijuana?  Is marijuana a drug and should it be restricted in use like other prescription medications?

Those are some of the questions that Louisiana citizens might need to start asking themselves in the very near future.

Baton Rouge Representative Dalton Honore will once again bring his proposal to legalize recreational marijuana before a house committee today. Honore isn't asking for the committee's blessing to legalize pot. He is simply asking the committee to move forward in placing a vote for legalized pot on the ballot so Louisiana voters can decide for themselves.

So, how do Louisiana voters feel about legalizing marijuana for recreational use?

Recent polls conducted by LSU's Public Policy Polling shows a decided shift among adults in their attitudes toward marijuana. Mike Henderson with the organization told the Louisiana Radio Network about some of the research center's findings on opposition to legalized pot.

"It's fallen by almost five points and support has come up by about three points,"

There used to be a 14 point difference in those against legalized pot and those supporting legalized pot. Those numbers have changed significantly especially since states like Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington have legalized recreational use of pot.

Henderson says the research doesn't seem to show that Louisiana voters are quite ready to legalize pot for recreational use right now, but he does expect that to happen within the next decade.

"10 years from now those younger voters will be voting more often and if they are still supportive of marijuana legalization I'd imagine it would have very high support."

The current climate for legalizing pot for recreational use finds 52% of registered voters in opposition, while 45% of voters say they would vote for legalization. The greatest opposition is in the older demographics.