Louisiana lawmakers OK smokable marijuana flower; sales increase likely

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Louisiana’s $25 million medical marijuana market is expected to get a huge lift in sales next year after the Legislature passed a measure that will allow smokable flower beginning Jan. 1, 2022.

Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards indicated he will sign House Bill 391, which was sent to his desk after the House of Representatives passed an amended Senate measure by a 76-17 vote on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

The state Senate earlier had passed the bill by a 23-14 margin.

Smokable flower will offer a more affordable option to the state’s roughly 5,000 medical cannabis patients.

Sales of smokable flower are expected to greatly open up what has been a high-priced heavily regulated program that launched in August 2019.

Patients will be allowed to purchase up to 2½ ounces of smokable marijuana every 14 days, according to the measure.

The state has nine dispensaries, called medical marijuana pharmacies.

The 2021 MJBizFactbook projects that Louisiana’s MMJ market will reach $25 million to $30 million in sales this year.