Beginning Saturday access to medical marijuana will increase dramatically in Louisiana. Legislation passed this year that allows physicians to prescribe without having to obtain a special license. LSU medical marijuana licensee Wellcana CEO John Davis…
“Any physician in Louisiana who’s licensed, and in good standing with the Louisiana Board of Medical Examiners, may recommend medical cannabis to any patient suffering from any debilitating medical condition,” says Davis.
Davis says as, with other medications prescribed in the state, marijuana dispensaries have access to the state’s prescription program to reduce abuse.
“Before dispensing any medical cannabis products to a patient, the pharmacist is going to review the patient’s records in the state’s prescription monitoring program,” says Davis.
Between August and December, just under 45-hundred patients with less than 200 doctors participated in the state’s cannabis program. But Davis says they are already seeing positive results from the use of medical marijuana.
“We are seeing a decrease in the consumption and prescription of opioids and that is directly related to the replacement of those opioids with far fewer side effects,” says Davis.
Medical cannabis is not currently covered by health insurance, but Davis says Republican Representative Larry Bagley has stated he is working on legislation to change that.
Written and reported by Brooke Thorington.
Comments