Beginning on Jan. 1, 2022, medical marijuana patients in Louisiana will be allowed to purchase and smoke the flower form of marijuana.
Governor John Bel Edwards signed into law House Bill 391, making it legal for dispensaries to sell the flower form of marijuana for the first time. Previously, only vapes, creams, and edibles were allowed to be sold.
There are a total of 28,174 patients in Louisiana that have been prescribed medical marijuana by their physicians. Across the state, there have been 280 physicians that have prescribed medical marijuana to at least one patient.
Throughout Louisiana, there are three major grow sites: two are part of the Louisiana State University system, and one is part of the Southern University system.
Those sites have 185 to 200 pounds of product that will be made available for distribution beginning in January at nine different sites in major cities in the state.
Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain spoke about how the grow sites are preparing for the change in the law.
"I think there's going to be a shift in consumption patterns," Strain said. "We will probably have some overall increase in utilization, but it will remain to be seen. We'll know in about six months."
The flower form of marijuana is much cheaper to process than its other forms, so it will be cheaper for patients to purchase a more traditional form of medical marijuana.
"That cost-saving is passed onto the customers," Ruston Henry, owner and pharmacist at H&W Drug Store, said. "If you decrease the cost, it's one less barrier that's an impediment to the patients. More people should be able to participate in this program."
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