BATON ROUGE — When a new law takes effect on Aug. 1, people found guilty of smoking marijuana within 2,000 feet of school property, including college campuses, could face up to a year in prison. 

HB 568, authored by Rep. Gabe Firment, was signed into law on May 22 by Gov. Jeff Landry. 

The law expands the state's violation of the state's drug-free zones statute to clarify the penalty for a conviction on already existing drug charges.

Under the newly signed law, offenders found guilty of smoking, vaping or otherwise abusing a controlled dangerous substance while on any property used for school purposes by any school, within two thousand feet of any such property or while on a school bus, face up to a year in prison, as well as a fine of no more than $1,000.