Medical Marijuana
La. R.S. 40:1046 — a clinician may recommend it for a long list of conditions, and a permitted retailer sells a patient up to 71 grams of flower every 14 days
A physician, a nurse practitioner with prescriptive authority, or a medical psychologist, licensed and in good standing in Louisiana, may recommend medical marijuana to a patient with a debilitating medical condition within a bona fide clinician-patient relationship.
- Cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy and seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.
- Intractable pain, chronic pain with fibromyalgia or sickle cell disease, and severe muscle spasms.
- Posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and a diagnosed concussion.
- Any condition for which the patient receives hospice or palliative care.
- Any other condition the clinician, in his clinical opinion, considers debilitating to the patient and is trained to treat.
A permitted retailer sells no more than two and a half ounces, or 71 grams, of raw marijuana every 14 days to a patient, and none in raw form to anyone under 21 without a recommendation for that form. A patient holding medical marijuana in a permitted form, on a legitimate recommendation, is protected from prosecution for possession under the drug law.
Sources for this section (2)
- La. R.S. 40:1046 — Recommendation and sale of marijuana for therapeutic use; production facility licensing; regulations and permitting by the Louisiana Department of Health
- La. R.S. 40:966 — Penalty for distribution or possession with intent to distribute narcotic drugs listed in Schedule I; possession of marijuana, synthetic cannabinoids, and heroin
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Louisiana attorney.