Louisiana’s first medical cannabis dispensary, Capitol Wellness Solutions (CWS), opened in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, four decades after the state’s first piece of medical cannabis legislation was signed into law.
In 1978, Governor Edwin Edwards signed Act 725, recognizing medical cannabis as a treatment for individuals with glaucoma and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
The state legislature amended Act 725 in 1991 to include spastic quadriplegia, a rare form of cerebral palsy.
The amendment also instructed the Department of Health to create a regulatory framework for medical cannabis in Louisiana by the end of January 1992, though the Department did not present their plan until August of 1994.
The plan failed to address several factors necessary to provide medical cannabis access, including the cultivation, distribution, and dispensing of products.
In 2015, Governor Bobby Jindal signed SB143 which sought to establish a medical cannabis regulatory system and, in conflict with federal regulations, allow physicians to prescribe medical cannabis for certain conditions.
Governor John Bel Edwards signed SB271 in 2016, allowing doctors to recommend medical cannabis under free speech protections provided by the First Amendment.
Edwards signed additional legislation in 2018 to expand the qualifications for medical cannabis use to include autism, PTSD, intractable pain, and other conditions.
“It is imperative that medical marijuana patients have safe and reliable access to the medicine that works for them, and Louisiana’s residents and lawmakers—including the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy—have worked hard to make this moment a reality,” said CWS founder and CEO Randy Mire in a statement. “All of us at Capitol Wellness Solutions are honored to be the first dispensary to open its doors for the state’s medical marijuana patients.”
Two cancer patients and a military veteran were the first three patients to purchase medical cannabis at CWS on Tuesday under the new system of regulation.
The veteran, Gary Hess, suffers from PTSD and says that cannabis medicine has added stability and consistency in his life.
CWS, which serves the Capital Region, is the first to dispensary open out of the nine that are licensed to dispense medical cannabis products in Louisiana.
