| The president of the Louisiana State Fair got a ticket and a ride from local police |
Every fall in Shreveport, folks travel from far and wide to attend the annual Louisiana State Fair. Besides the carnival games, rickety rides, and overripe port-a-potties, fair-goers to this southern affair can drop their hard-earned dollars on such heart-stopping treats as bacon-covered caramel apples and deep fried watermelons. Not only is this carb-filled-cardiac-arrest-inducing fair food totally legal, it is one of the main attractions.
Chris Giordano runs the Louisiana State Fair, and he says, “Every year we bring new foods and try to mix things up with the attractions and rides to keep the fair fresh for everybody and I think it’s something that some people look forward to all year long.”
Giordano, 43, was arrested this past Saturday and was promptly taken to jail when local cops busted him with pot in his car after pulling him over to ticket him for rolling through a stop sign.
Giordano’s LinkedIn page (yes, LinkedIn still exists) lists his official job title as “President & General Manager at State Fair of Louisiana” (yes, apparently that’s a real job), and showcases an award received for being a CFE, or Certified Fair Executive (yes…that’s an “honor”).
As far as Louisiana state law goes, cannabis reform is about as low of a priority as can be, leaving the financially crippled conservative state watching as more progressive areas of the country roll back age-old marijuana laws to great social success.
The 2014 legislative session ended with proposals to decriminalize small amounts of weed, to recognize the medical benefits of marijuana, and to remove cannabis from the “habitual offenders” statute all left on the shelf to collect dust for another year.
That, despite the fact that a February poll showed that a whopping 79% of Louisiana residents support making medical marijuana available and legal in the state. 56% of voters polled said that simple pot possession should result in a fine instead of an arrest, and 53% of those polled said they think that weed should be legal on a recreational level, and taxed and regulated like booze.
Still, the state’s pot laws remain some of the most brutal in the entire country. A first time offense, like Mr. Giordano’s, even for a roach in the ashtray, can land the offender up to six months in jail. Get busted a second time and state law mandates that you pay a fine of at least $250 and spend at least 48 hours in jail, regardless of the circumstances.
The state’s racial demographics break down roughly pretty evenly into about 2/3rds white and 1/3rd black. Conversely, even though they are shown to use marijuana at even rates, blacks in Louisiana are 3.1 times more likely than whites to get arrested on cannabis related charges.
Chris Giordano, a middle-aged upper-class white man, may have bucked the trend a bit, but it will be interesting to follow the story to see if/how his arrest impacts his career.
Specifically, it remains to be seen if Giordano’s prominent position will do more to hurt his reputation, or to shed a much-needed light on the horribly backwards pot laws in the state.
The happily married father of two took over the head gig at the state fair from his late father Sam, who passed away in 2006 – so good ol’ fashioned southern nepotism should work in his favor.
Plus, let’s face it; you too would have to be pretty friggin’ baked to employ food vendors that offer something called “donut burgers”.
