Louisiana

Louisiana

4,350 Registered Patient Population

0.09% of Total Population Represented by Patients

9 Total Medical Retail Locations Currently in Operation

483 : 1 Patients : Retail

Medical cannabis is legal in Louisiana; however, Louisiana’s medical program authorizes only two state universities to cultivate medical cannabis, which registered patients can access at one of only nine pharmacies controlled by the state Board of Pharmacy. This narrow policy framework provides patients with extremely limited access, leaving most patients without the opportunity to obtain medicine. There is no reciprocity for out of state patients in Louisiana.

Patient Rights and Civil Protection	62/100
Arrest Protection 35/40 Affirmative Defense 15/15 Parental Rights Protections 0/10 DUI Protections 0/5 Employment Protections 0/5 Explicit Privacy Standards 7/7 Housing Protections 0/5 Does Not Create New Criminal Penalties for Patients 5/5 Organ Transplants 0/5 Reciprocity 0/3
Access to Medicine	63/100
Allows Distribution Programs 15/40 – Allows Access to Dried Flowers 15/15 – Allows Delivery 0/5 – No Sales Tax or Reasonable Sales Tax 0/5 – Allows for a Reasonable Number of Dispensaries 3/5 – Does Not Require Vertical Integration 0/2 – Ownership/Employment Restrictions 0/2 – Provisions for Labor Standards 0/2 – Environmental Impact Regulations 0/2 – Choice of Dispensary Without Restrictions 0/2 Noncommercial Cultivation 0/20 – Personal Cultivation 0/15 – Collective Gardening 0/5 Explicit Right to Edibles/Concentrates/Other Forms 7/10 Does not Impose Bans or Limits on THC 3/10 Does not Impose Bans on CBD 10/10 Local Bans/Zoning 10/10
Ease of Navigation	85/100
Comprehensive Qualifying Conditions 50/50 Adding New Conditions 10/10 – Law/Regulations Allow for New Conditions 5/5 – System Works for Adding New Conditions 5/5 Reasonable Access for Minors 10/10 Reasonable Caregiver Background Checks 0/4 Number of Caregivers 0/2 Patient/Practitioner-Focused Task Force or Advisory Board 0/2 Reasonable Fees (Patients and Caregivers) 7/10 Allows Multiple-Year Registrations 0/2 Reasonable Physician Requirements 5/5 Does Not Classify Cannabis as a Medicine of Last Resort 3/5
Functionality	63/100
Patients Able to Access Medicine at Dispensaries or by Cultivation 35/50 No Significant Administrative or Supply Problems 10/15 Patients Can Receive Legal Protections Within Reasonable Time Frame of Doctor's Recommendation 5/10 Reasonable Possession Limits 5/5 Reasonable Purchase Limits 5/5 Allows Patients to Medicate Where They Choose 3/5 Covered by Insurance/State Health Aid 0/3 Financial Hardship (Fee Waivers/Discount Medicine) 0/7
Consumer Safety and Provider Requirements	60.05/100
Dispensing 14.59/25 Staff Training 0/5 Standard Operating Procedures 3.25/5 – Facility Sanitary Conditions 0/1.25 – Storage Protocols 1/1.25 – Reasonable Security Protocols 1.25/1.25 – Inventory Control 1/1.25 Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting 3/5 Product Labeling 5/5 – Product Contents, Including Source Material Identification 1.67/1.67 – Allergens 1.67/1.67 – Potency/Compound Identification 1.67/1.67 Required Testing 3.34/5 – Active Compound Identification 1.67/1.67 – Contaminants 0/1.67 – Potency 1.67/1.67 Grow/Cultivation 12.46/25 Staff Training 0/5 Standard Operating Procedures 0.71/5 – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions 0/0.71 – Workforce Safety Protocols 0/0.71 – Storage Protocols (Short-Term and Long-Term Storage) 0/0.71 – Reasonable Security Protocols 0.71/0.71 – Batch and Lot Tracking 0/0.71 – Disposal/Waste 0/0.71 – Water Management 0/0.71 Pesticide Guidance 4/5 – Pesticide Guidance 2/2.5 – Pesticide Labeling 2/2.5 Required Testing 3.75/5 – Active Ingredient Identification 1.25/1.25 – Contaminants 1.25/1.25 – Potency 1.25/1.25 – Sample Retention 0/1.25 Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting 4/5 Manufacturing 17.00/25 Staff Training 3/5 Standard Operating Procedures 3/5 – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions 1/1 – Workforce Safety Protocols 0/1 – Storage Protocols 1/1 – Reasonable Security Protocols 1/1 – Batch and Lot Tracking 0/1 Product Labeling 5/5 – Product Contents, Including Source Material Identification 1.67/1.67 – Allergens 1.67/1.67 – Potency and Compound Information 1.67/1.67 Required Testing 3/5 – Active Ingredient Identification 1/1 – Contaminants 1/1 – Potency 1/1 – Shelf Life Testing 0/1 – Sample Retention 0/1 Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting 3/5 Laboratory Operations 16/25 Staff Training 3/5 Method Validation in Accordance with AHP Guidelines 0/5 Result Reporting 5/5 Independent or Third Party 3/5 Standard Operating Procedures and Protocols 5/5 – Equipment and Instrument Calibration 0.83/0.83 – Sample Tracking 0.83/0.83 – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions 0.83/0.83 – Disposal/Waste 0.83/0.83 – Storage Protocols 0.83/0.83 – Workforce Safety Protocols 0.83/0.83
Covid Response	12/20
Delivery Available? 2/6 Curbside Pickup Available? 0/2 Medical Cannabis Essential? 7/7 Telemedicine Available? 3/5
Excerpted from ASA's 2020 State of the States Report.

Becoming a Patient in Louisiana

Recommending Cannabis in Louisiana

History of Medical Cannabis in Louisiana

Policy Recommendations Louisiana