Louisiana Legislator Wants to See Twice as Much Access to Medical Marijuana

Right now in Louisiana, if a doctor sees the need to prescribe you with medical marijuana, it could be miles between you and your prescription as there are only nine licensed pharmacies in all of Louisiana where you can make that purchase.

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In a report from the Louisiana Radio Network, we learn that Stonewall Representative Larry Bagley thinks that's not nearly enough and would like to double the number of Louisiana licensed pharmacies for medical marijuana from 10 to 20 with House Bill 425.

Before you jump the gun and question the numbers I've just provided. Yes, there are ten licenses in the state, but only nine of those are being used. That's another issue that Bagley would like to address.

Representative Bagley, who serves as Chair of House Health and Welfare says the whole purpose for legalizing medical cannabis is to reduce opioid addiction, “So, if you couldn’t get the medical marijuana the easy way is just to continue to do the opioids. I’m really trying to make it easier to get some if you need it.”

In the Stonewall area, where Bagley resides, he says that his constituents who need medical marijuana have to make a ninety minute trip to legally purchase it, and that certainly doesn't help the cause. He stated, “And while I don’t use it there are plenty of people that do in my area but it’s hard to get it when you’ve got that far to go, especially if you’re poor and don’t have good reliable transportation.”

In addition to doubling the number of licensed pharmacies, Bagley says he'll also introduce legislation to increase the number of licensed marijuana growers in Louisiana.