Louisiana House Passes Measure to Make Medical Cannabis Law Permanent
Louisiana’s full House of Representatives has given approval to legislation that would make the state’s medical cannabis law permanent.
House Bill 823, filed by Representative Vincent Pierre (D), was passed by the House yesterday in a 69 to 23 vote. According to its official text, the measure; “Repeals the termination date of laws authorizing the recommendation or prescription of medical marijuana in the treatment of certain debilitating medical conditions”.
Louisiana’s current medical marijuana law, passed in 2016, allows those with a qualifying medical cannabis condition to purchase and use medical cannabis products, given they receive a recommendation from a physician. Qualifying conditions include cachexia/wasting syndrome, cancer, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and seizure disorders/spasticity. This law is set to expire in 2020, but would become permanent under House Bill 823.
Earlier this month the House voted 60 to 39 to expand the list of qualifying medical marijuana conditions to include intractable pain, glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), severe muscle spasms and Parkinson’s disease.