Rep. Bernard LeBas, D-Ville Platte, couldn’t persuade his colleagues to add a substance called Kratom to Louisiana’s list of illegal narcotics.
Calcasieu Parish District Attorney John DeRosier sought a prohibition, saying the substance — derived from the leaves of a Southeast Asian tree — has become a drug of choice for young people in his area.
Members of the House said they didn’t have enough information to label it a narcotic, so LeBas removed Kratom from his House Bill 174 to change certain drug classifications before the House voted to send it to the Senate with a 93-0 vote.
Here is how Houma-Thibodaux representatives voted on the amended bill:
For: Truck Gisclair, D-Larose; Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville; Dee Richard, I-Thibodaux; Lenar Whitney, R-Houma.
Absent: Gordy Dove, R-Houma.
