Although it is predicted that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will sign legislation in the coming weeks to reduce the state’s penalties for possession of marijuana, his sudden change of heart in regard to cannabis crimes may be more of a political scam than a sympathetic gesture—especially since non-violent pot offenders enslaved by unruly sentences continue to be denied their freedom.
According to Newsweek, Governor Jindal has refused to grant clemency to 49-year-old Bernard Noble, who was sentenced in 2011 to over a decade in a Louisiana penitentiary for possession of just enough weed to roll a couple of joints. Noble, a father and, up until the time of his arrest, a gainfully employed member of civil society, fell victim to Louisiana’s habitual drug offender statute based on two previous convictions for possession.
