Louisiana’s medical marijuana program, as of January 1, is offering raw, smokable cannabis to its registered patients. The state will also tweak its calculations for state income taxes as more than two dozen new laws took effect on New Year's Day.
Up until now, the state’s dispensaries have been selling medical marijuana in liquids, topical applications, inhalers and edible gummies. Therefore, this legislation is a welcome move as marijuana flower in smokable form requires far less processing and is thus generally less expensive for patients.
Enough To Go Around
Louisiana has two growers that provide the bulk of cannabis products to the state's dispensaries. One of them told a local TV network WAFB that they have enough to meet the demand.
“They’re stocked up right now and there is more flower in the department of agriculture and forestry’s testing pipeline that will be available anticipating mid-January,” said John Davis of Good Day Farm Louisiana.
Tax And Police Procedural Changes
Although most new laws are dealt with during the regular legislative session that wrapped up last June, in the fall voters approved income tax changes after lawmakers sent the measure to the ballot for consideration. And with the new law, comes new procedures for police regarding traffic stops with weed in the car.
“Individuals who have the medical marijuana, as I was instructed, they have to have their medical marijuana in the vile with their name on there. They have to have their identification and the vile," said L’Jean Mckneely with Baton Rouge Police Department. "And when we know that it is medical marijuana, then we proceed without forwarding any charges on that particular person.”
Unlike other states with medical marijuana programs, Louisiana's MMJ patients will not be required to carry a medical card. Instead, they will simply need a recommendation from any Louisiana doctor and can pick up their supplies at any of the nine dispensaries across the state.
“Because it’s still a schedule 1 drug, it can’t go through a regular pharmacy. When the federal government changes that, then we can change the way this works,” said state Rep. Joseph Marino, who chairs Louisiana's Medical Marijuana Commission.
