On the books: Louisiana’s penalties for having small amounts of marijuana have been lowered. The Associated Press reports Gov. Bobby Jindal signed the measure into law Monday, along with a bill that will eventually get medical marijuana to people suffering from cancer, glaucoma and a severe form of cerebral palsy through a limited number of distributors. Someone caught with less than 14 grams of marijuana now faces up to 15 days in jail and up to six months if caught with less than 2.5 pounds but more than 14 grams. A second offense has dropped from a felony charge to a misdemeanor crime, carrying a sentence of no more than six months. Read the full story.
Lawyering up: Louisiana is among 16 states that on Monday filed lawsuits against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, contesting a rule that expands the definition of bodies of water subject to federal pollution controls. Reuters reports the actions are a coordinated challenge to an EPA rule issued on May 27 that defines the jurisdiction of the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over rivers, streams, lakes or marshes. It was meant to clarify which waters are protected by the anti-pollution provisions of the 1972 Clean Water Act. Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana asked a federal court in Houston to declare unconstitutional the Clean Water Act rule expanding the definition of “waters of the United States,” calling it an “impermissible expansion of federal power over the states.” Other states’ suits have been filed in other federal courts. Read the full story.
In search of service: U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy was in Lafayette Monday to discuss the continued lack of health care services for veterans there, The Advertiser reports. “There’s an incredible number of growth in the amount of veterans who live in the Lake Charles, Lafayette area,” Cassidy said following a meeting with members of the Veterans Action Coalition of South Louisiana at the Lafayette Southside Library. “And if you look at where the Veterans Administration spends its money in Louisiana, there are 60 something thousand veterans in Lafayette and Lake Charles and yet the dollars are not being spent here for them.” The bid process for a temporary “Campus B” clinic began earlier this month, but Cassidy said not enough action is being taken by the state and federal Veterans Administrations to provide medical services that only be found in Texas and north Louisiana. Read the full story.
