Lawmakers expand medical marijuana permissions
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The Louisiana Senate on Wednesday passed legislation that allows any state-licensed physician to recommend medical marijuana and expands which conditions are eligible for its use.
Wednesday’s 28 to 6 vote on H.B. 819 follows a 77 to 15 vote by the state House on May 15. The latest bill expands the state’s 2015 law that allowed for distribution and use of medical marijuana under certain conditions, such as glaucoma and cancer. The new expanded list includes several neurological disorders, traumatic brain injuries, and chronic pain associated with certain diseases and conditions.
The bill also clarifies the state’s guidance of who recommend medical marijuana: a doctor with a “bona fide doctor-patient relationship” who decides “that in the sincere judgment of the physician, therapeutic cannabis may be helpful to the patient’s condition or symptoms.”
The bill has been sent back to the House for a concurrence slated for Thursday.
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