The Louisiana Legislature gave final approval this week to a bill that would extend the sunset period for Louisiana’s medical marijuana pilot program, sending it to Governor Jeff Landry.
Senate Bill 228 passed through its third and final reading in the House of Representatives on May 13 by a vote of 89 to 1. The following day, the Senate gave final approval to the bill, also with just one “No” vote (37 to 1). Yesterday, the measure was officially sent to Governor Landry, giving him a 10-day window to sign it into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature.
Filed by Senator Patrick McMath, the measure would extend the state’s medical marijuana pilot program—established in 2022—until July 1, 2030. Under current law, the program is set to expire on January 1, 2025.
The pilot program allows Louisiana State University and Southern University to legally produce marijuana for therapeutic use, with the production and distribution of medical marijuana under the regulatory authority of the Louisiana Department of Health.
In addition to extending the pilot program, Senate Bill 228 “gives authority to the LA Department of Health to issue two licenses to cultivate, extract, process, and produce therapeutic marijuana and removes this responsibility from the LSU Agricultural Center and Southern University Agricultural Center.” It also “changes the time frame included in the qualified patient count conducted and reviewed by the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy from a period over the preceding three months to the preceding twenty-four months.”
According to polling released last year by the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at Louisiana State University, 70% of Louisiana adults support ending the prohibition on possessing “small amounts” of marijuana. This marks an almost 30% increase in support since 2013.
