Twenty-year veteran of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry, medical marijuana proponent, former law enforcement officer and long-time farmer, Charlie Greer has announced his candidacy for Commissioner of Agriculture & Forestry.
“We are truly blessed with an abundance of natural resources here in Louisiana,” says Greer. “I’ve given the biggest part of my life to public service and the Department of Agriculture & Forestry in the great state of Louisiana. As your Commissioner, I will use my experience, knowledge and leadership to create an effective and proactive agency with sufficient manpower and funding so we can better protect and advocate for our consumers, our resources and the hardworking citizens of our state’s diverse agricultural and forestry industry.”
Greer is also a strong advocate for medical marijuana and the production of industrial hemp.
“In 2015, legislation was passed allowing experts at LSU and Southern University to grow and produce medical-grade marijuana,” says Greer. “But for more than three years, the current commissioner has created roadblocks. When elected, I will work diligently to remove the bureaucracy surrounding the process to produce this vitally important plant-based medicine that patients in Louisiana are legally entitled to.”
Greer is a member of of numerous community and state-wide organizations. A lifelong hunter, fisherman and farmer, Greer and his wife Martha reside in Natchitoches Parish where they attend Good Home Baptist Church.
Greer is a native of Pine Prairie where he grew up farming. He attended LSU and graduated from their Law Enforcement Institute, where he was elected class president. He served as chief deputy and chief criminal investigator for Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office, wildlife agent and president of the Louisiana Wildlife Agent Association and lobbyist for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries. He also served the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry for 20 years, where at the time of his retirement in 2013, he was program director/forestry enforcement chief and working closely with the state’s landowners and loggers. He’s also raised both cattle and horses and currently manages family timberlands. Greer was appointed by the governor to serve on the Red River Waterway Commission.
