Lake Charles, LA Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)

4, most recently amended by Ordinance No. S. 40:978 or otherwise authorized by law. Subsection (b) defines the covered synthetic cannabinoids by chemical name, including compounds sold under the street names CP 47,497, HU 210, JWH-018 and JWH-073. Subsection (c) sets the penalty scale: a first or any subsequent conviction for possessing 14 grams or less of marijuana, THC or its derivatives draws a fine of not more than $100, enforced by summons in lieu of custodial arrest under Code of Criminal Procedure Article 211 rather than a jail booking.

An offender who cannot pay may ask the court to find bona fide inability to pay and receive installment payments or community service instead. Possessing more than 14 grams on a first conviction raises exposure to a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment in the parish jail for not more than six months, or both; a second such conviction raises the ceiling to $1,000 and six months. A conviction for possessing more than 14 grams becomes ineligible as a prior for enhancement purposes once two years pass without a further conviction.

Possession of synthetic cannabinoids carries its own first-offense cap of $500 and six months, with later offenses treated as priors for enhancement. The ordinance does not create a separate offense for consuming or using marijuana in a public place; police enforce public use through this possession statute when the substance is found on a person in a street, park or other public location.