{"id":4127,"date":"2022-02-07T20:36:43","date_gmt":"2022-02-07T20:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=192916"},"modified":"2022-02-07T20:36:43","modified_gmt":"2022-02-07T20:36:43","slug":"louisiana-patients-loving-newly-legal-cannabis-flower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=4127","title":{"rendered":"Louisiana patients loving newly legal cannabis flower"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>Louisiana patients loving newly legal cannabis flower | Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. 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You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p>On January 1, 2022, cannabis flower finally became available to Louisiana\u2019s 10,000 registered medical marijuana patients. Patients and pharmacists are pleased with the newfound access. Now they\u2019re hoping supply will increase to meet demand\u2014and bring down those high prices.<\/p>\n<p>Louisiana became the first Deep South state to legalize medical cannabis in limited forms back in 2016, but those forms were extremely limited. Smokeable flower was not allowed. <\/p>\n<p>Now the Bayou State is allowing patients to find relief with the plant directly. Governor John Bel Edwards set the change into motion last summer by signing House Bill 391, which legalized the dispensing, purchasing, and usage of medical cannabis in flower form.<\/p>\n<p>This is a big step forward, as cannabis flower represents roughly half of all product sales in most medical and adult-use states.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img width=\"1004\" height=\"750\" alt=\"photo-of-apothecary-shoppe-in-Louisiana\" class=\"wp-image-192936 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/louisiana-patients-loving-newly-legal-cannabis-flower-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/louisiana-patients-loving-newly-legal-cannabis-flower-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/louisiana-patients-loving-newly-legal-cannabis-flower-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/louisiana-patients-loving-newly-legal-cannabis-flower-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>The Apothecary Shoppe serves licensed medical marijuana patients in Lafayette, Louisiana. (Quinn Foster photo) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-medical-marijuana-access-how-to-find-it\">Medical marijuana access: How to find it<\/h2>\n<p>In order to receive a medical marijuana card, patients have to send their medical records to a Medical Cannabis Physician (who has to be licensed and in good standing) to determine their debilitating condition(s), schedule a consultation appointment (via telehealth or in-person), and receive a medical recommendation from their physician.<\/p>\n<p>Consultation appointments cost around $200 and are not covered by health insurance due to the continuing federal prohibition of cannabis in all forms.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We interviewed a few medical marijuana professionals and patients to get their insight, thoughts, and sentiments regarding the legalization and dispensing of medical flower.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-medical-flower-success-stories\">Medical flower success stories<\/h2>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/choumd.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Victor Chao<\/a>, founder of the Medical Marijuana Clinic in Baton Rouge, an overwhelming majority of his patients are happy to have medical flower approved as another method of administration. Patients who were unable to afford other methods of medical cannabis are now able to purchase medical flower.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are so many patients that are doing so well on cannabis that it actually surprises us when there are patients that aren\u2019t doing well,\u201d Chao told Leafly.<\/p>\n<p>Patients with more than one diagnosis are now able to utilize medical cannabis in various forms. The addition of cannabis flower comes at a time when more patients are reaching out to state-certified physicians to ask about medical marijuana.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-xxl wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-related-articles\">\n<p><h2>Related articles<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-more-patients-more-improvement\">More patients, more improvement<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Penny Sue Walker, co-founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/lamedicalmarijuanadoctors.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Louisiana Medical Marijuana Doctors<\/a> clinic in New Orleans, said she was seeing two to four patients a day in 2019. Now she\u2019s consulting with 30 to 40 patients a day. She\u2019s seen many of her patients\u2019 medical conditions improve because of their usage of medical cannabis.<\/p>\n<p>Medical professionals have stated that their patient age groups range from toddlers to seniors who are in their 90s. \u201cI have autistic children that are talking that never talked before marijuana,\u201d Walker said. \u201cI have cancer survivors who were sent home to hospice to die who are still alive.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-early-days-limited-supply-this-is-normal\">Early days, limited supply, this is normal<\/h2>\n<p>Cannabis flower can now legally be purchased at Louisiana\u2019s state-licensed medical marijuana pharmacies, but in these early days patients may run into a shortage of flower supply. This is not unusual. It will take some time for the state\u2019s limited number of growers to catch up to the patient demand.<\/p>\n<p>As of early 2022, nine medical marijuana <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pharmacy.la.gov\/index.cfm?md=pagebuilder&amp;tmp=home&amp;pid=545\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pharmacies<\/a> (what other states call dispensaries) are licensed to dispense medical marijuana in Louisiana. There are only two authorized agriculture centers (Louisiana State University-GB Sciences of Louisiana, and Southern University-Advanced Biomedical) licensed to grow the cannabis plants that are expected to supply medicine to the entire state.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"photo-of-cannabis-grower-in-louisiana\" class=\"wp-image-192949 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/louisiana-patients-loving-newly-legal-cannabis-flower-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/louisiana-patients-loving-newly-legal-cannabis-flower-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/louisiana-patients-loving-newly-legal-cannabis-flower-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/louisiana-patients-loving-newly-legal-cannabis-flower-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>In this 2019 photo, Thomas Uhle, grow manager, tends to marijuana plants growing at GB Sciences Louisiana, in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo\/Gerald Herbert. File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t have as much product as other states,\u201d Walker acknowledged. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/learn\/legalization\/louisiana#:~:text=Cannabis%20is%20legal%20for%20qualified,but%20recreational%20marijuana%20is%20not.&amp;text=First%2Dtime%20offenders%20in%20possession,for%20up%20to%2015%20days.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">state law<\/a>, patients are able to obtain 2.5 ounces of flower every two weeks from their pharmacist. But due to the flower shortage, pharmacies are currently unable to dispense such amounts. One medical patient shared with us that there was only shake left on her first trip to a Louisiana medical marijuana pharmacy.<\/p>\n<p>Patients are hoping that state authorities will consider opening up the cannabis growing opportunities to local farmers, which would help alleviate the current shortage.<\/p>\n<p>Pricing and accessibility are two other limitations Louisiana faces. Due to the limited number of dispensaries, some medical patients are forced to drive more than an hour and then wait in a four-hour line to obtain their prescription.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-prices-are-high-now-but-may-come-down\">Prices are high now, but may come down<\/h2>\n<p>In Louisiana, there seems to be a 50-50 outlook on the current pricing of flower. According to Dr. Chao, half of his patients are fine with the pricing, while another half are concerned with the current prices.<\/p>\n<p>Our patient interviewee (who happens to be a medical cannabis nurse) said she found local flower prices expensive compared to other states. She\u2019s a member of various Louisiana medical cannabis patient groups on Facebook, and a majority of the members shared similar concerns about flower prices. A medical professional specializing in cannabis informed us that one gram can cost as low as $12, while an eighth can cost as low as $35. <\/p>\n<p>A quick check of prices found most Louisiana pharmacy eighths selling in the $50 to $70 range, which is expensive. In New Jersey, one of America\u2019s priciest medical marijuana markets, flower eighths sell within a $40 to $60 range.<\/p>\n<p>Members of the Louisiana Veterans for Medical Cannabis Facebook group were even in the talks of planning a boycott in early January because of flower prices. <\/p>\n<p>Medical professionals understand the competition that they face with the illicit cannabis market and are hoping to further efforts and conversations around lowering the prices of medical flower in Louisiana.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Louisiana prices as of Jan. 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Mandarin Cookies (Hybrid)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Mandarin Zkittles (Indica Hybrid)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Grease Monkey Flower (Indica Hybrid)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Grease Monkey Popcorn (Indica Hyrbid)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Gram: $15<\/td>\n<td>Gram: $20<\/td>\n<td>Gram: $22<\/td>\n<td>Gram: $20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Eighth: $50<\/td>\n<td>Eighth: $60<\/td>\n<td>Eighth: $70<\/td>\n<td>Eighth: $50<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>Quarter Ounce: $105<\/td>\n<td>Quarter Ounce: $125<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<td>Half Ounce: $190<\/td>\n<td>Half Ounce: $225<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-growers-expanding-to-meet-the-demand\">Growers expanding to meet the demand<\/h2>\n<p>Good Day Farm, the state\u2019s largest medical cannabis producer, is relocating its facility from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com\/article\/louisianas-good-day-farms-expands-to-ruston\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">250,000-square-foot warehouse in&nbsp; Rustin, Louisiana<\/a> to solve the flower shortage and meet the high demands of medical patients. Good Day Farm, which partners with the Louisiana State University AgCenter, plans to cultivate over 120 medical hybrid strains that will produce around 5,700 pounds of flower per month during their three-phase expansion project.<\/p>\n<p>There is talk of a delivery service starting very soon for Southwest Louisiana area patients. The delivery service will assist those who are unable and\/or inaccessible to travel to the dispensaries.<\/p>\n<p>There are several national companies attempting to get involved in Louisiana\u2019s medical cannabis ventures, but physicians are encouraging patients to support local. One patient told Leafly, \u201cI really wish Louisiana would look at the models of other states\u2019 success stories to bring it here, so patients can have more access.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-find-a-medical-marijuana-pharmacy-near-you\">Find a medical marijuana pharmacy near you<\/h2>\n<p>Louisiana\u2019s nine licensed medical marijuana pharmacies are listed here:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Region 1 ~ Metropolitan<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;<strong>H &amp; W Drug Store, Inc.&nbsp;<em>d\/b\/a<\/em>&nbsp;H &amp; W Drug Store<\/strong>, located at 1667 Tchoupitoulas Street, Suite B in New Orleans, La. 70130-1852.&nbsp; Telephone: (504) 301-2363.<\/li>\n<li><em>Region 2 ~ Capitol<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;<strong>Capitol Wellness Solutions, LLC&nbsp;<em>d\/b\/a<\/em>&nbsp;Capitol Wellness Solutions<\/strong>, located at 7491 Picardy Avenue in Baton Rouge, La. 70809-3536.&nbsp; Telephone: (225) 800-9420.<\/li>\n<li><em>Region 3 ~ Teche<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;<strong><span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.greenleafmedcenter.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Green Leaf Dispensary<\/a>,<\/span> LLC&nbsp;<em>d\/b\/a<\/em>&nbsp;Green Leaf Dispensary<\/strong>, located at 6048 W. Park Avenue in Houma, La. 70364-1808.&nbsp; Telephone: (985) 360-3372.<\/li>\n<li><em>Region 4 ~ Acadian<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;<strong>The Apothecary Shoppe, LLC&nbsp;<em>d\/b\/a<\/em>&nbsp;The Apothecary Shoppe<\/strong>, located at 620 Guilbeau Road, Suite A in Lafayette, La. 70506-8709.&nbsp; Telephone: (337) 345-4500.<\/li>\n<li><em>Region 5 ~ Southwest<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;<strong>Medicis, LLC&nbsp;<em>d\/b\/a<\/em>&nbsp;Medicis<\/strong>, located at 1727 Imperial Blvd., Building 4 in Lake Charles, La. 70605-5362.&nbsp; Telephone: (337) 420-8420.<\/li>\n<li><em>Region 6 ~ Central&nbsp;<\/em>\u2013&nbsp;<strong>The Medicine Cabinet Pharmacy, LLC&nbsp;<em>d\/b\/a<\/em>&nbsp;The Medicine Cabinet Pharmacy<\/strong>, located at 403 Bolton Avenue in Alexandria, La. 71301-7026.&nbsp; Telephone: (318) 545-4460.<\/li>\n<li><em>Region 7 ~ Northwest<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;<strong>Hope Pharmacy, LLC&nbsp;<em>d\/b\/a&nbsp;<\/em>Hope Pharmacy<\/strong>, located at 1410 Kings Highway, Suite A in Shreveport, La. 71103-4227.&nbsp; Telephone: (318) 585-0420.<\/li>\n<li><em>Region 8 ~ Northeast<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;<strong>Delta Medmar, LLC&nbsp;<em>d\/b\/a<\/em>&nbsp;Delta Medmar<\/strong>, located at 111 McMillan Road in West Monroe, La. 71291-5319.&nbsp; Telephone: (318) 855-3373.<\/li>\n<li><em>Region 9 ~ Southeast&nbsp;<\/em>\u2013&nbsp;<strong>Willow Pharmacy, LLC&nbsp;<em>d\/b\/a<\/em>&nbsp;Willow Pharmacy<\/strong>, located at 1519 Highway 22 West, Suite 5 in Madisonville, La. 70447-9489.&nbsp; Telephone: (985) 792-2391.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"my-xxl wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-related-articles\">\n<p><h2>Learn about flower strains<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/louisiana-patients-loving-newly-legal-cannabis-flower.jpg\" alt=\"Quinn Foster's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Quinn Foster<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Quinn Foster is a Houston native who identifies as an Afro-Creole part of the LGBTQ community. He is also a long-term cannabis enthusiast. Quinn showcases intersectionality with activism, creative art, travel, and music culture within his writing.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/quinn-foster\">View Quinn Foster&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2022-02-08 02:03:43 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Louisiana patients loving newly legal cannabis flower | Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. On January 1, 2022, cannabis flower finally became available to Louisiana\u2019s 10,000 registered medical marijuana patients. Patients and pharmacists are pleased with the newfound access. Now they\u2019re hoping supply will increase to meet demand\u2014and bring down those high prices&#8230;. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/louisiana-patients-loving-newly-legal-cannabis-flower.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}