LPB Louisiana Public Square discusses marijuana legalization Oct. 23

BATON ROUGE - Should the state of Louisiana follow Colorado and Washington and legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

That's the topic of the next edition of Louisiana Public Broadcasting's award-winning Louisiana Public Square on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. on LPB-HD. It also airs at 9 p.m. on WLAE-TV in New Orleans.

Mandatory drug sentences cost Louisiana taxpayers millions of dollars to incarcerate people charged with simple possession of marijuana.

Would a reduction in penalties encourage more usage and lead the state down a path to legalization? Or does Louisiana - which ranks among the top ten states for drug use - need further reinforcements in its battle against this "gateway drug"?

Up to 20 average citizens will get a chance to give their opinions and question a panel of experts on the topic.

The panel includes Caddo Parish District Attorney and Louisiana District Attorney President Charles Scott, State Representative Dalton Honore of Baton Rouge, Louis Cataldie, M.D. of St. Christopher's Addiction Wellness Center and Marjorie Esman of the ACLU of Louisiana.

LPB President/CEO Beth Courtney and Kirby Goidel from the LSU Public Policy Research Lab will host the show.

For more information, visit the LPB website at lpb.org/publicsquare.