Overview of medical Marijuana in Louisiana
- Numerous studies have shown that medical cannabis has the potential to help with a variety of medical conditions and their associated symptoms.
- Louisiana has not legalized recreational marijuana use.
- Act 261 was passed in 2015 which allows physicians to prescribe (recommend) Medical Marijuana to qualified patients.
- The Legislature named the agriculture centers at Louisiana State University and Southern University as the only legal growers of marijuana plants, from which medicines will be extracted.
- LSU has entered into a Medical Marijuana contract with GB Sciences to grow marijuana for medical purposes in Louisiana.
- No LSU students will be employed at the indoor growing facility and it will not be on LSU property or adjacent to the LSU campuses.
- Southern University has selected Advanced Biomedics, a Lafayette-based company for medical marijuana cultivation and production.
- The anticipated date that Medical Marijuana will be available in late summer 2018.
- Only a limited number of specially-licensed pharmacies will be able to recommend Medical Marijuana.
- Act 261 of the 2015 legislative session approved the list of debilitating conditions that will be eligible for treatment with Medical Marijuana. These conditions include cancer, positive status for HIV, AIDS, cachexia or wasting syndrome, seizure disorders, epilepsy, spasticity, Crohn’s disease, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis.
- Act 708 of the 2018 (effective 8-1-2018) legislative session added glaucoma, Parkinson’s disease, severe muscle spasms, intractable pain and post-traumatic disorder to the list of debilitating conditions eligible for treatment with Medical Marijuana.
- Act 496 of the 2018 (effective 5-23-2018) legislative session added any of these four conditions associated with autism spectrum disorder as an eligible condition:
- repetitive or self-stimulatory behavior of such severity that the physical health of the person with autism is jeopardized
- avoidance of others or inability to communicate of such severity that the physical health of the person with autism is jeopardized
- self-injuring behavior
- physically aggressive or destructive behavior
See Louisiana Department of Health website for the most current information.
