Louisiana

Louisiana’s cannabis legalization proposal has cleared its final committee before heading to the House floor for consideration.

Just over two-thirds of Louisiana residents say they support legalizing adult-use cannabis in the state, according to recent polling data.

The City Council in Shreveport, Louisiana is considering a measure to decriminalize low-level cannabis possession. If approved, Shreveport would be only the third Louisiana city to adopt significant cannabis reforms.

The application period for becoming a licensed hemp farmer in Louisiana next year is now open.

A military vet who was sentenced to life in prison for selling $30 worth of cannabis to an undercover Louisiana police officer was recently resentenced to time served and will be released from prison.

Louisiana Gov. Edwards signed legislation this week that regulates hemp and CBD products, including a ban on selling hemp products “for inhalation” except for hemp-based rolling papers.

The Louisiana Senate has approved major medical cannabis expansions; the measure moves next to the governor, who is expected to sign the bill into law.

The Louisiana Alcohol and Tobacco Control Board has licensed some 1,500 businesses in the state to sell CBD products under the state’s industrial hemp rules.

Tuesday of next week marks the official launch of medical cannabis sales in Louisiana. The state program does not permit raw cannabis flower, however, patients will instead have access to tinctures, inhalers, topicals, and oils.

Lawmakers in Louisiana have approved a bill that allows the “inhalation” of cannabis via an inhaler-like apparatus; smoking, however, would remain illegal under the state medical cannabis program.

Louisiana enforcement officials are planning a crackdown on CBD products sourced from out-of-state hemp farms, despite hemp’s recent legalization via the 2018 farm bill.