The NPJ has noticed some heavy traffic at the Good Day Farm Dispensary in Natchitoches since the location opened on South Drive.
According to the LSU Law Library, Louisiana passed its first law allowing medical marijuana in 1978. Yes, 1978, in Act No. 725. The original Act provided medical marijuana for patients with cancer and glaucoma, and instructed the Department of Health to source the substance. They never did so.
A second attempt was made in 1991, in Act No. 874. This version allowed use for glaucoma, those undergoing chemotherapy, and those with spastic quadriplegia. The Department of Health was given a deadline to promulgate rules to implement this, which they did in 1994, two years after their deadline, in a way that did not in fact legalize marijuana for medical use.
Finally in 2015, in 2015 La. Acts 261, marijuana for medical use was once again legalized, and a system was set out for the cultivation and distribution to those with medical needs. The original Act only listed the same three medical conditions as the 1991 Act. Additional Acts amending the law to add more eligible medical condition were passed long before the first legal plant was grown in Louisiana. As of 2022, there are 30 specific conditions listed, as well as “Any condition not otherwise specified in this Subparagraph that a physician, in his medical opinion, considers debilitating to an individual patient and is qualified through his medical education and training to treat.”
An article by the Marijuana Policy Project, posted on July 9, states the following:
Over the past several years, the Louisiana Legislature has made steady, incremental progress to roll back what were among the most draconian cannabis laws in the country. The Legislature passed and expanded medical cannabis laws, stopped incarceration for possessing up to 14 grams of cannabis, and allowed expungements for low-level cannabis offenses.
The Legislature convened on March 11, 2024, with a lot of new legislators representing districts across the Bayou State. The new legislature advanced several pieces of cannabis legislation this year before adjourning in early June. Bills to decriminalize cannabis paraphernalia and to move back the sunset on the medical cannabis program to 2030 became law.
Here’s a full rundown of 2024 cannabis policy bills and how they fared:
- HB54 — would have set up a regulatory framework for the legal production and sales of cannabis for adults’ use. This bill became HB978 and passed the Judiciary Committee, but failed in a House floor vote, 36-58. This is the first time a cannabis regulation bill has received a floor vote in any Deep South legislature.
- HB707 — would have set up the regulatory framework for legal production and sales of cannabis for adults’ use, including home grow. This bill passed the Health and Welfare Committee but was never scheduled for a hearing in the Appropriations Committee.
- HB165 — will remove the possibility of jail time for possessing cannabis paraphernalia. This bill has been signed into law. It becomes effective on August 1, 2024.
- HB391 — would have allowed governors to issue pardons for certain misdemeanor cannabis offenses. It was vetoed by Gov. Landry.
- HB331 — would have allowed municipal and parish employees who are not in a safety-sensitive position to participate in the medical cannabis program without jeopardizing their jobs. This bill failed on final Senate vote.
- HB 376 — extends the sunset clause on the medical cannabis program from January 1, 2025, until July 1, 2030. It also moves regulatory authority for medical cannabis pharmacies to the Department of Health. This bill has been signed into law.
- SB228 — extends the sunset clause on the medical cannabis program from January 1, 2025, until July 1, 2030. It also makes the two cultivators/processors independent of LSU and Southern University. This bill has been signed into law.
According to the MPP article, “The people of Louisiana are ready to rid their state of the overly harsh penalties currently imposed for cannabis offenses. A 2023 poll by Louisiana State University found 70% of respondents support legalizing cannabis for adult use with 30% opposing. In 2013, only 42% supported legalization in the annual poll.”
Vicente law firm performed an analysis for MPP on what an adult-use cannabis industry would generate in sales and tax revenue. It forecasts $922 million dollars a year in sales starting in the third year of implementation, bringing in $222 million in annual local and state tax revenue. Using U.S. government data, the forecast estimates that currently there are 435,000 cannabis consumers over the age of 21 in Louisiana.
All this information got us at the NPJ thinking about how many Natchitoches Parish residents were traveling out of town to other dispensaries before Good Day Farm opened. Think of all the money that’s now staying inside our parish for what’s being spent at the dispensary. Sounds like a good thing if you ask us.
