Pennsylvania-based Ilera Holistic Healthcare is taking over the contract to grow medical marijuana on behalf of Louisiana’s Southern University for the state’s MMJ program. Shreveport TV station KTBS reported that the company with the initial contract – Advanced Biomedics – never became operational because of disputes between the owners. Ilera bought the 68% stake in Advanced […]
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Louisiana medical marijuana sales delayed by lack of testing lab
A failure to find an independent testing lab will delay medical marijuana sales in Louisiana at least until January, roughly two months after the market was originally anticipated to launch. The lack of an independent lab also means Louisiana’s Department of Agriculture department will handle product testing for now, The Advocate reported. GB Sciences, one […]
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Louisiana’s first medical cannabis harvest to start this week
The first legal crop of medical marijuana in Louisiana is set to be harvested this week. However, testing is still necessary before product can ship, and the state hasn’t yet selected a third-party laboratory. The licensed grower working with the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center, GB Sciences, expects to start the drying process by next week, The […]
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LA lifts medical marijuana patient caps for doctors to boost market’s viability
Louisiana regulators agreed to eliminate the 100-patient limit for doctors authorized to recommend medical marijuana, a move aimed at removing a potential stumbling block for a market that’s expected to launch late this year. The State Board of Medical Examiners voted 8-1 on Monday to remove the cap established in 2016. By a narrower 5-4 […]
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State leaders seek banking solution for cannabis industry
Louisiana’s top banking regulator has joined colleagues in other marijuana-legal states asking the U.S. Congress to clear the way for banks to do business with the marijuana industry. John Ducrest, commissioner of Louisiana’s Office of Financial Institutions, was one of the state financial regulators who signed a letter to congressional leaders last week seeking “safe […]
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Louisiana regulators consider upping medical cannabis patient limits for doctors
Louisiana may boost the cap on the number of patients doctors can serve to avert potential bottlenecks in its medical marijuana program, a state official said this week. Here’s some background on the situation: The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (LSBME) established a limit of 100 medical marijuana patients per physician in 2016, with […]
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Louisiana expected to begin growing medical cannabis Aug. 17
Louisiana’s first legal crop of medical marijuana can be planted this week. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain, whose agency regulates the state’s burgeoning industry, loosened a regulatory logjam that created a monthslong delay. Strain’s team met with Louisiana State University AgCenter Chancellor Bill Richardson and the head of the school’s marijuana contractor, GB Sciences Louisiana, to […]
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Regulatory delay holds up Louisiana’s medical marijuana program
Louisiana’s first medical marijuana crop will take longer than expected to reach patients, and that has some dispensing pharmacies in the state anxious. GB Sciences, the grower for the LSU AgCenter, hoped to provide product to Louisiana’s nine licensed medical marijuana pharmacies by September. But the company told The News-Star the earliest harvest likely will be in […]
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State marijuana reforms could spark tens of millions of dollars in business opportunities
Pro-cannabis legislative reform has advanced in a number of states in 2018, with major business developments occurring in Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other markets. The legislative changes and resulting program expansions could potentially boost medical marijuana sales by tens of millions of dollars a year, providing a shot in the arm to MMJ retailers, […]
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Chart: Timeline for launch, projected sales in seven new marijuana markets
More than 60% of the U.S. population now lives in states that have legalized some form of marijuana use and sales, illustrating both the rising acceptance of cannabis nationwide and the industry’s immense potential for future growth. Several medical marijuana and recreational programs have yet to get off the ground, however. Here’s an update on […]
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Week in Review: Medical marijuana research, Louisiana lawsuit & Ohio’s extra MMJ license
Pennsylvania approves eight universities to conduct medical marijuana research, a company spurned for a Louisiana license sues the state, and Ohio awards an additional MMJ permit.
Here’s a closer look at some notable developments in the cannabis industry over the past week.
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Spurned medical cannabis applicant in Louisiana sues state
A business that lost out on a medical marijuana dispensary license in New Orleans sued the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy, charging that the agency was “arbitrary and capricious” in awarding the metro area permit to the fourth-ranked applicant. In a lawsuit filed this week, RX Greenhouse of Metairie said it not only had been ranked […]
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