Baton Rouge Representative Ted James to accept appointment as SBA Administrator Region Six.
Legislation allowing medical marijuana patients to use an inhaler to get the therapeutic cannabis in their system passes on a 73-3 vote in the House and is headed to the Senate. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James says his bill does not legalize smoking medical marijuana for those who get a prescription.
“It’s very similar to an asthma inhaler, so again this does not allow for smoking, it’s just to remove the prohibition inhalation,” said James.
Doctors say inhaling medical marijuana allows patients to get quicker relief from their symptoms.
James says veterans in particular came to him and asked for the expanded option for treatment. He says for patients suffering an acute episode, the fast acting relief from an inhaler can be lifesaving.
“In a pill form they talked about how the medicine will take upwards of an hour to get into their system versus a matter of minutes with the inhalation,” said James.
The proposal also would allow doctors who live out of state to be licensed to prescribe medical marijuana, as long as they’re licensed in Louisiana and in good standing with the Board of Medical Examiners.
The measure faces more discussion in the Senate.
