In 2016, Louisiana legalized medical marijuana for up to 14 medical conditions, ranging from autism to epilepsy to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When it was originally passed, the law only allowed for the use of non-smokeable and THC inhaler forms of the drug. However, in 2022 the law was expanded to include smokeable forms of marijuana.

But the state was slow at first to get legalized growers and distributors going, and there is an ever-growing list of patients in need of the drug in the state. There may be a solution, but it requires a new law and a very big change to previous laws.

A new petition has started circulating online that seeks to convince lawmakers to adopt what are known as "home grow" laws - laws that allow for medical marijuana patients to grow their own pot.

183575355
Credit: Getty Stock/ThinkStock
loading...

It's a controversial proposal, as it's not just state laws at play, but federal ones.

On the federal level, cannabis is illegal - marijuana, along with heroin and cocaine, are classified as Schedule I drugs. Several states, including Louisiana, have made medical marijuana legal, but still criminalize recreational use. And growing at home is absolutely out of the question.

A petition circulating online has only just started collecting signatures, but it offers a full proposal for a law to be introduced in Louisiana, should lawmakers decide to give it a chance.

Patients are begging you for help! PLEASE AUTHOR A BILL THAT PROVIDES HOMEGROW FOR MMJ PATIENTS

12 Viable Plants/patient!

6 Vegetative + 6 Flowering

Caregivers up to 6 Patients

$25 ANNUAL FEE*

w/ Fee Exemptions for Veterans, Children, and Adults in life-long tutorships

WHY

It is a well-known fact that the legislator-owned monopoly is FAILING Louisiana patients in every imaginable way. The legislator-owned marijuana monopoly is price-gouging Louisiana patients, as much as three and four times the price patients in other states pay! With the officially declared FEDERAL OPIOID EMERGENCY (2017)claiming more lives than ever, it’s time to make the least harmful alternative to opioids more available to Louisiana patients.

The proposal appears to be loosely based on laws in places like Colorado, which has legalized both medical and recreational cannabis.

It is highly unlikely that Louisiana would attempt to adopt such a law at this time. The upcoming legislative session is a fiscal one - the focus will be on state finances.

Opponents of home grow laws, meanwhile, worry that allowing patients to grow their own would enable more black market selling of the drug, as well as make it difficult for law enforcement to differentiate between legal and illegal product.

The Seven Modern Wonders of Acadiana

These landmarks in and around Lafayette leave us in awe and, in some cases, make us think what their designers were thinking.

The History Behind Lafayette's Street Names

We drive them on a daily basis. Some are smoother than others. Some we use more frequently than others. Some randomly start, end, and/or change names. They're the streets of Lafayette. The names behind many of these streets have interesting histories. We take a look at where those names come from and the impact their namesakes have had on the city and the parish.

More From 97.3 The Dawg