Louisiana Cannabis Update
Louisiana Cannabis Update
A bill to shift authority over medical marijuana and expand cultivation in Louisiana has gained approval from the House Committee on Health and Welfare.
The state of Louisiana legalized medical cannabis in 2016, through a Legislative bill, Senate Bill 271, which provided a legal way for qualifying patients in the state to access and utilize medical cannabis as a form of treatment for their ailment. Access to medical cannabis is through state licensed businesses that are allowed to grow, manufacture and sell medical cannabis.
Louisiana Medical Cannabis Cultivators can grow medical cannabis plants; extract, process and produce medical cannabis products; and sell wholesale to other state-licensed medical cannabis businesses. There is a limit of two (2) business licenses allowed for Louisiana Medical Cannabis Cultivators within the state.
Flower sales started Jan. 1, and the additional product already has boosted sales and the number of registered patients, according to The Advocate.
Louisiana Medical Cannabis Dispensaries can purchase medical cannabis from licensed cultivators and dispense cannabis to registered patients. The 2022 MJBiz Factbook projects that Louisiana’s MMJ program will reach $90 million to $100 million in sales this year, about double those in 2021.