LA MEDICAL MARIJUANA EXPANSION – On Tuesday, Governor John Bel Edwards officially signed into law a bill to greatly expand Louisiana's medical marijuana program. The Governor’s pen allows doctors to recommend it as treatment for any patient they believe it would help. Before Tuesday’s signing -- medical marijuana could only be recommended, but not be officially prescribed by licensed physicians in Louisiana.
House Bill 819 removed the restriction requiring physicians to secure an extra license to be approved for recommending the medical marijuana. Rep. Larry Bagley, R-Stonewall who wrote the bill explained its passage allows doctors more choices for treating their patients.
"And the purpose was to try and get away from opiods," Bagley explained. "Many people think that is the best choice and I'm going to give you that option since we voted it (medical marijuana) in several years ago. It's been legal, it's just it had restrictions on it and I just tried to move some of those restrictions away, people that now want it can get it."
Beginning on August 1st, doctors in Louisiana will be able to prescribe medical marijuana to treat patients for any debilitating condition they feel it may help.
