Beginning in August, more doctors in the state of Louisiana will be able to recommend medical marijuana to any patient that they think could benefit from the drug.
The major expansion of the state’s therapeutic cannabis program was signed into law by Gov. John Bel Edwards this week.
The House and Senate agreed to the bill in the regular session that ended on June 1st. The House voted 75-16 for the measure, while the Senate agreed in a 28-6 vote.
Prior to the bill, medical cannabis was allowed in the state to treat diseases and disorders such as cancer, seizure disorders, epilepsy, glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder and Parkinson’s disease.
Republican Rep. Larry Bagley proposed the bill to authorize therapeutic cannabis for any condition that a doctor “considers debilitating to an individual patient and is qualified through his medical education and training to treat.”
In Louisiana, marijuana can be available in oils, pills, liquids, topical applications and an inhaler but not in a smokeable form.
