Shreveport, LA Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)

Section 50-122 of the Code of Ordinances, adopted by Ord. No. S. S. 40:1046 in the course of professional practice, or as otherwise authorized by law. S. 40:966(F). The ordinance builds in an indigency safeguard: if a defendant alleges he cannot pay the fine, the court must determine whether he willfully refused to pay or made bona fide efforts to raise the money; absent willful refusal, the court must substitute alternative penalties such as installment payments or community service rather than jail, and any alternative penalty cannot impose harsher restrictive treatment than a person of means would have received.

Enforcement runs by summons in lieu of custodial arrest under La. art. 211, meaning officers write a citation rather than booking the person into jail. The $50 fine ordinance does not apply where a person possesses more than 14 grams of marijuana or chemical derivatives, where the substance is a synthetic cannabinoid, or where the person is under 18 years old. Those categories fall outside Sec. S. 40:966, which carry far heavier penalties including jail time. A severability clause in subsection (f) preserves the rest of the ordinance if any part is struck down.