Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, expressed his belief that marijuana will soon be legalized in his state, while asserting that he still has concerns about allowing people to consume the plant.
The Louisiana state legislature was considering a bill that would have taxed cannabis as lawmakers there pushed for legalization. But that legislation was rejected in the state House on Tuesday, making it unlikely that cannabis will be legalized in the southern state this year.
However, Edwards suggested in a live radio interview on Wednesday that he believes marijuana will be legalized in the near future.
“In the past, as a legislator and as governor, I’ve been opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana,” he said on the monthly program Ask the Governor broadcast on local radio. “I will tell you, I have come to believe that it is going to happen in Louisiana eventually.”
“I’m not quite comfortable yet,” the governor added, “but I understand we’re likely to get there in the next several years.”
Edwards’ comments about cannabis mark a reversal from his previous staunch opposition, as he highlighted. The Democratic governor signaled the shift in his thinking last month, noting that there was “great interest” in the cannabis legislation being considered by the state legislature. [Read more at Newsweek]
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