New Louisiana laws you should know

Catch up quick: Though the legislative session that brought state lawmakers to Baton Rouge earlier this year was focused on money matters, other new laws made it to Gov. Jeff Landry's desk, too.

• Some new laws, like a bill making the drug ivermectin more easily-accessible through over-the-counter purchases, are already effective.
• Others won't be enforceable until future dates, like a new restriction on artificial food dyes and additives in school foods, which administrators will have to contend with starting in 2028.

Here's a look at the new laws taking Aug. 1:

• 🍃 Cratering kratom: Louisiana becomes the latest state to ban kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia and used to self-medicate for pain, anxiety, depression and other conditions, according to the FDA, which has not approved its use.
• 🤳 Drop the phone: It'll be illegal to hold a cellphone while driving, with exceptions for hands-free calls and navigating.
• Yes, but: Law enforcement should only issue warnings until Jan. 1, 2026, after which drivers will face fines.
• 🗳️ Independents no more: Any Louisiana voter registered as a member of the Independent Party will instead be listed as having "no party," according to the secretary of state's office. It's part of the state's shift to a closed party primary system for some elections beginning in 2026.
• 🐌 Move over, slowpokes: Slow drivers who hang out in the left lanes of traffic will find themselves facing heftier fines for failing to keep pace.
• ✈️ Chemtrail ban: Aircraft can no longer release "chemtrails," a conspiracy theory-based idea that chemicals are released from the vapor threads seen behind airplanes.
• 📚 The Caleb Wilson Law: College students will have a new anti-hazing course requirement if they participate in some student organizations. It was inspired by Southern University student Caleb Wilson's death earlier this year.

• 🚗 Car insurance: Some of the new laws Landry has touted as a means to bring car insurance rates down take effect Aug. 1, including one to give the state insurance commissioner more authority to reject rate increases, a limit on bodily injury medical expense awards for uninsured drivers and a prohibition on undocumented immigrants collecting accident-related damages.
• 😎 Stay shady: Like your windows tinted? You can go darker now with a new law decreasing the sunlight your car's front windows need to filter.
• 🚨 Immigration enforcement: Local officials who don't comply with federal immigration enforcement could face up to a decade in prison, which Verite's Bobbi-Jeanne Misick reports conflicts with existing Orleans Parish policies at the jail and within the police department. Go deeper.