) t s o m l (A GONE TO POT Weed In Louisiana
By Emily Hingle
Medical marijuana has slowly been adopted, but concerns about accessibility remain. There are two ways to characterize where marijuana is right now for Louisianians: this state has come farther than the four states where it is fully illegal and the seven states where only CBD is
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Travel to 18 states and you can purchase marijuana legally and enjoy it however you like. Louisiana is not one of these states. While some laws regarding cannabis have been relaxed here, recreational use of marijuana is still illegal.
legal, or Louisiana has not progressed far enough and action needs to be taken to bring it further along. Here’s where the legality of marijuana currently stands in Louisiana. On June 15, 2021, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed HB 652 into law which decriminalized possession of less than 14 grams of cannabis. A person may be ticketed for it, however, with a $100 fine. After arduous deliberation and legislation, medical marijuana is available throughout the state to patients via a doctor’s prescription. Medical marijuana was first dispensed on August 6, 2019, and it was seen as a major milestone for medical marijuana advocates. Any licensed doctor in good standing with the state can prescribe cannabis for any “debilitating” disorder or disease. On June 22, 2021, the governor signed HB 391 which lifted the prohibition on raw/crude and smokable cannabis products for medical marijuana-prescribed patients. Possession of up to 2.5 oz of cannabis flower will be legal for medicinal purposes. There are two growers for the state’s entire medical marijuana program currently: Southern University and LSU. The two universities actually contract the farming out to two private companies named Ilera Holistic and Good Day Farm. Several bills involving marijuana are being discussed during the 2022 Legislative Session which convened on March 14. Many of the bills express a desire to expand the medical marijuana program in several ways including allowing more entities to grow the plant, pharmacies to dispense it, and
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