BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana’s medical marijuana program is edging closer to kickoff, but doctors have been slow to embrace the new medication option.
Only two doctors have applied for the permit required to offer medical-grade cannabis to patients, according to information The Associated Press obtained from the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners under a Public Records Law request.
One permit application has been approved, while the other is under review.
That’s raising questions about whether patients struggling with chronic pain and suffering will gain access to the drug they sought.
Medical marijuana is a controversial subject in the conservative Southern state. But Sen. Fred Mills, the Republican pharmacist who sponsored the laws, still hopes to see an uptick in permit requests from doctors when the drug is closer to release next summer.
