The Louisiana House overwhelming approves a bill to expand the medical marijuana program. There are currently nine licensed medical marijuana pharmacies in Louisiana and Houma Representative Tanner Magee’s measure awards the 10th license and allows licensee holders to open multiple pharmacies.
“If it’s about access that’s the fastest way to get it to people who is closer,” said Magee.
A big complaint from medical marijuana patients is access, with only nine pharmacies that dispense the drug. Gretna Representative Joe Marino added an amendment to the bill that allows a medical marijuana license holder to open another location if they have 25-hundred patients.
“In the state of Louisiana we have 14-hundred pharmacies or more for every other medication there is, but for this medication, there are only nine locations,” said Marino.
The bill also allows home delivery.
Magee says the legislation also shifts regulatory authority from the department of agriculture to the department of health.
“There is a good connection there as far as long as lab testing goes and how that process can be done, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to have two different agencies overseeing similar issues and products,” said Magee.
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