G.D. Hancock, Ph.D.

Louisiana

Louisiana has two laws on supplying drugs that cause a death.

Statutes last checked 7 October 2026 · Not legal advice

Supplying drugs that cause a death

Second-degree murder (distribution as direct cause of death)

Unlawfully distributing or dispensing a controlled substance in Schedules I-V that is the direct cause of the death of the person who took it. It also covers supplying someone who passes the drug on to the person who dies.

Statute
La. Rev. Stat. § 14:30.1(A)(3)-(4)
Penalty
Life in prison at hard labor without parole, probation or suspension of sentence. (La. Rev. Stat. § 14:30.1(B))

Manslaughter (distribution significantly contributing to death)

Added in 2025 (Act 169). Distributing or dispensing a Schedule I-V controlled substance that significantly contributes to the death of the person who took it, directly or through another person who passed it on. This reaches deaths where the drug was not the sole or direct cause.

Statute
La. Rev. Stat. § 14:31(A)(4)-(5)
Penalty
Up to 40 years at hard labor. (La. Rev. Stat. § 14:31(B))

Calling for help: the Good Samaritan law

A person who seeks medical help in good faith for someone overdosing, and the person who overdosed, cannot be charged or penalized for possession or use of drugs or paraphernalia when the evidence came from seeking help, and are protected from probation or parole sanctions and civil forfeiture tied to the incident. It does not cover distribution. Seeking help may be a mitigating factor in other prosecutions.

Statute: La. Rev. Stat. § 14:403.10

Does calling for help protect against the drug-death charge? No.

The Good Samaritan law does not list the drug-death offense, so it does not protect against that charge.

Whatever the law says, if someone is overdosing, call 911. A life comes first. More on calling 911.

Federal law

Federal law applies in every state. When death or serious bodily injury results from using a Schedule I or II drug that a person distributed, federal law sets a mandatory minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life. Federal prosecutors can bring this charge whatever the state law says. (21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A)-(C))

Cases from Louisiana in the database sample

7 cases in the published sample of the drug-induced homicide case database were prosecuted in Louisiana. The database is still being built; the complete version will be published when it is finished.

Sources

  1. La. Rev. Stat. § 14:30.1(A)(3)-(4)
  2. La. Rev. Stat. § 14:31(A)(4)-(5)
  3. La. Rev. Stat. § 14:403.10
  4. 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A)-(C)

About this information

This page describes what the statutes say, as of 7 October 2026. It is not legal advice, and it can’t tell you how a court will apply the law to any particular case. Laws change; check the statute, and please speak to a lawyer in Louisiana about your own situation.