Now that medical marijuana is available in its dried smokable form, some are complaining of the high price … leading others to consider expanding growing operations. One of the state’s 9 cannabis pharmacies is asking between $440 and $480 per ounce for the herb. Gretna Representative Joe Marino (I) chairs the state’s Medical Marijuana Commission and says the high price is due to the limited supply from only two growing operations.
When first approved in 2015, only two cultivators were allowed, with a maximum of 10 “pharmacies”. There are currently only 9. Marino says lawmakers clearly did not foresee expanding to allow smokable weed under medical cannabis when they first passed the law. Demand is heavy, but the high cost is a deterrent. Marino says having a cannabis monopoly in place puts the medicine out of the average person’s reach.
“What other medicine is there – that a patient could get a prescription for from a doctor – that the state of Louisiana limits how many people are producing it, and how many places where it can be sold?” he asks.
Medical cannabis is rarely covered by health insurance.
Neighbor states with medical cannabis have anywhere from 8 to a dozen cultivators allowed, compared to Louisiana’s two, and their average prices are lower. Marino’s Medical Marijuana Commission will meet during the upcoming Redistricting Session, to discuss supply, demand and patient concerns. Marino feels the state’s legal cannabis law needs to be expanded to help put the medicine within patients’ reach.
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