BATON ROUGE - More than 17 years ago, the St. Martin Sheriff's Office found a substantial amount of cocaine underneath the house of a candidate in the 3rd Congressional District race. But Jeff Landry says that's only half the story. Landry, a businessman and attorney from New Iberia, said the illegal drugs belonged to a roommate and the 1993 documents linking him to the incident are being spread around by his opponent in the Oct. 2 Republican primary. Landry also said he willingly signed the warrant allowing law enforcement officials to search the property at 123 W. Berard St. in St. Martinville. [continues 470 words]
In a gubernatorial campaign defined by similar philosophies, medical marijuana could be one dividing line between Kathleen Blanco and Bobby Jindal. Although Bobby Jindal and Kathleen Blanco are both opposed to the decriminalization of marijuana for recreational use, their stances on its medical applications differ. Jindal firmly opposes medical marijuana; Blanco says she believes it has merit. Federal law prohibits physicians from writing marijuana prescriptions, so some states are addressing the right of doctors to recommend marijuana. So-called recommendation laws are on the books in Hawaii, Alabama, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Colorado and Maine. The governor of Maryland recently signed a bill establishing a mere $100 maximum fine for using marijuana out of "medical necessity." Nine states currently have laws legalizing medical marijuana and 35 have passed laws recognizing marijuana's medicinal value. [continues 451 words]
BATON ROUGE -- Concerned about potential constitutional lawsuits, a state Senate committee rejected a bill Thursday that would have drug-tested recipients of state-college scholarships. Senate Bill 117 by Sen. Butch Gautreaux, D-Morgan City, called for the thousands of students involved in the Tuition Opportunity Program for Students, or TOPS, to be tested randomly throughout their collegiate careers. "I've visited with many employers in my district and around the state, and I've discovered that they can't accept many potential employees or applicants because they can't pass a drug screen," said Gautreaux, whose district includes western Terrebonne Parish. [continues 164 words]
BATON ROUGE -- A Houma lawmaker wants to broaden the interpretation of the term "accessory" as it applies to felony crimes. House Bill 50 is among measures state Rep. Damon Baldone, D-Houma, has filed in advance of the March 31 legislative session. Accessories help commit crimes but aren't the primary persons responsible. Baldone's bill adds "minor accessories" as parties to felony crimes and provides for greater interpretation of the term "accessory." While present law defines parties to certain crimes as either "principals" or "accessories after the fact," Baldone's bill would add "minor accessories" to the list. [continues 210 words]
