Rep Joe A Marino III - Gretna
According to an opinion from Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, physicians can recommend medical marijuana to patients via a telemedicine visit. Gretna Representative Joe Marino said while doctors can’t prescribe schedule 2 medication like narcotics without an in-person visit, marijuana is not in the same classification.
“And they were trying to apply the same rules that have to do with prescribing a medication with a recommendation, and those are two completely separate things. They’re legally different,” said Marino.
Both Landry and Marino interpreted the law regarding doctor visits and access to medical marijuana to allow telemedicine visits. Medical marijuana can only legally be recommended by physicians who participate in the program. Marino said the ruling also helps those in rural areas who have difficulty seeing physicians in general.
“So, if they don’t have access to a doctor remotely via telemedicine, they’re not going to have access. So, this is very important for that reason,” said Marino.
Marino said the legislature passed the law to allow access to those who can benefit from medical marijuana and the law removed such hurdles it wasn’t intended to create more. Marino said a telemedicine visit is appropriate for someone who’s in hospice or has a really serious, documented debilitating disease.
“There’s no reason to make that person go to an in-person visit to see that doctor in order to have this happen, that makes no sense,” said Marino.
Marino said the state’s medical marijuana program continues to need revisions so it’s more accessible and affordable.
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