Louisiana to Expand Access to Medical Marijuana

Two bills passed in the Louisiana House of Representatives this week should give a greater number of patients access to some forms of medical marijuana according to The News Star.  House Bills 579 and 627 both received approval to move on to the next step in becoming a law.  If they both pass a final Louisiana Senate vote, physicians would have the flexibility to recommend the highly controversial medicinal oils, pills, sprays and topical applications that are derived from marijuana to treat a wider array of conditions.

The new law would expand access of these medicines to those suffering from glaucoma, severe muscle spasms, chronic pain, autism, and PTSD as well as the 10 conditions listed as acceptable in the original 2015 law.

Although it has been a slow start, and the specter of Attorney General Jeff Session's vow to prosecute all marijuana cultivation, processing, sale, and possession at the Federal level - officials in Louisiana have vowed to press on carefully.   LSU and Southern University have been chosen to use their agricultural centers to grow the medical-grade pot, and state leaders will choose pharmacies to distribute the legal forms of the medicine in a much anticipated meeting on April 18th.