In an overwhelming vote, the Louisiana House of Representatives has approved bill last week that allow for medical marijuana delivery services and for the plan to be used for any debilitating condition.
Both bills approved by the House were sponsored by Rep. Larry Bagley. His medical condition expansion bill passed 76-15 while the delivery legislation passed 80-15.
The medical expansion originally would have only added traumatic brain injuries and concussions to the list of qualifying conditions for marijuana recommendations. It was amended in committee to add several other conditions as well as language stipulating that cannabis can be recommended for any condition that a physician “considers debilitating to an individual patient.”
“It’s something that deserves to be done,” Bagley told Marijuana Moment. “I knew that it was bipartisan. I never thought it had a chance to fail unless I messed up somewhere in the presentation.”
“I think what it’s going to mean is, people that have physical problems, they will be able to have an alternative to opioids,” he said. “I know we have a terrible addiction here in Louisiana with the opioid epidemic. Opioids can kill you. I don’t think anybody’s ever died from medical marijuana. It’s just a safety issue.”
“People claim that [cannabis is] a lifesaver that has done all sorts of things. I can’t refute any of that,” he added. “Everybody has the right to do that. That’s why we live in America. I’m pretty excited about the bill and I hope it does a lot of good.”
The cannabis delivery legislation will require a government regulatory body to develop “procedures and regulations relative to delivery of dispensed marijuana to patients by designated employees or agents of the pharmacy.”
The House-passed bills now head to the Senate, with the legislative session set to end on June 1.
