LA Medical Marijuana Expansion Approved in House

The medical marijuana program in Louisiana isn't very old, but seems to be on the way to a facelift. Medical marijuana was approved for Louisiana in 2020 by Governor John Bell Edwards, but only in tincture, edible, pill, and topical forms. But smokable, raw marijuana may be on the way.

The Louisiana House approves a bill that would allow physicians to prescribe the smokable form of medical marijuana to patients. Houma Representative Tanner Magee says 35 states have a medical marijuana program, only Louisiana and Minnesota do not allow raw or crude form. The vote was 73-26 in favor of the legislation. Several conservative members of the House voted against it.

Medical marijuana patients are already being approved in Louisiana for the non-smokable form of the plant. McGee points out that having the raw smokable marijuana is a cheaper alternative for patients as it does not have to go through a synthesizing process before being consumed. The bill will now go to Senate.

This comes after, Tuesday April, 27th, when the Louisiana House Committee approved a bill that would decriminalize and regulate marijuana for recreational use, despite heavy opposition from sheriffs and prosecutors.

The house bill (House Bill 524) was authored by State Rep. Richard Nelson of Mandeville. And the bill advanced from the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice on a 7-5 vote.

According to statistics presented by Pollster John Couvillion, nearly two-thirds of Louisianans polled support the legalization of cannabis on a recreational level. However, that doesn't mean it will pass the full House where conservatives hold the majority of the seats.