House Health and Welfare advanced legislation expanding the state medical marijuana program to include smoke-able “raw” marijuana.
Bill author, Houma Representative, and Republican Tanner Magee said our neighbors in Mississippi and Arkansas have OK’d the sale, and we need to catch up or our state’s program could collapse.
“It’s medication that people need and I think if anyone has seen the destructive effects of the opioid crisis they can see there is something else out there that gives people relief,” said Magee.
Magee also notes the raw form of the treatment is much cheaper than the current processed versions being sold in the state.
Natchitoches Representative Kenny Cox said the current medical marijuana program has been a success, but it needs to be expanded.
“We’ve had people who have had to leave here to go to Colorado, California, and other places because they’ve had kids and other things,” said Cox.
Chairman Larry Bagley said a poll of his rural northwest Louisiana district showed 65 percent in favor of expanding the program. He says that’s because the benefits are becoming obvious.
“I have family members now that are on it that were in terrible pain, in fact they couldn’t walk because they were in so much pain, and do walk now,” said Bagley.
The final vote in committee was 12-1, and the bill now heads to the House floor. A companion piece of legislation setting the tax for raw marijuana at the state sales tax rate of 4.45 percent would also need to be approved for this to take effect.
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