Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain confirmed to WWL Radio that the raw, bud form of medical marijuana set for sale starting January 1st cleared a battery of safety tests. Starting in 2022 patients with medical recommendations from doctors in good standing will be able to purchase the flower form of the treatment at state dispensaries.
Strain said before being OK’d for public consumption the treatment had to be cleared, and everything checked out.
“We test the levels of THC in it, but also to make sure that it does not have any bacteria in it, E. coli, salmonella, we test it for heavy metals, we test it for pesticides, we test it for a host of things,” said Strain.
It’s the next step in a legal journey that began six years ago when the State Legislature approved, for a narrow range of ailments, the sale of medical marijuana tinctures. Now those with a wide range of conditions can get access to the treatment in a number of forms starting in 2022.
Despite this new form of the treatment being OK’d by the state, it still isn’t technically legal under federal law. Strain said you can’t get a “prescription” for medical marijuana, just a recommendation, because medical marijuana still isn’t approved federally.
“We’ve had different memos from the federal government that say it is illegal, that it is ok, but the bottom line is the federal government through the Cole Memo is not going to enforce the marijuana laws with medical marijuana,” said Strain.
