On January 1, 2022, cannabis flower finally became available to Louisiana’s 10,000 registered medical marijuana patients. Patients and pharmacists are pleased with the newfound access. Now they’re hoping supply will increase to meet demand—and bring down those high prices. Louisiana became the first Deep South state to legalize medical cannabis in limited forms back in 2016, but those forms were extremely limited. The smokeable flower was not allowed. Now the Bayou State is allowing patients to find relief with the plant directly. Governor John Bel Edwards set the change into motion last summer by signing House Bill 391, which legalized the dispensing, purchasing, and usage of medical cannabis in flower form. This is a big step forward, as cannabis flower represents roughly half of all product sales in most medical and adult-use states. In order to receive a medical marijuana card, patients have to send their medical records to a Medical Cannabis Physician (who has to be licensed and in good standing) to determine their debilitating condition(s), schedule a consultation appointment (via telehealth or in-person), and receive a medical recommendation from their physician. Consultation appointments cost around $200 and are not covered by health insurance due to the continuing federal prohibition of cannabis in all forms. We interviewed a few medical marijuana professionals and patients to get their insight, thoughts, and sentiments regarding the legalization and dispensing of medical flowers. 

Quinn Foster, Leafly, 02/07/2022 15:36:00

Open article: https://www.leafly.com/news/politics/louisiana-patients-loving-newly-legal-cannabis-flower

As the state considers whether to adjust the required mold and yeast levels in medical cannabis products, patients and others remain concerned about the proposed change and are calling for stricter testing standards. The public comment period ended last week on the state Department of Consumer Protection’s proposed changes, which would set the total limit at 100,000 colony forming units per gram and wouldn’t allow any detectable levels of harmful breeds of mold in the Aspergillus family. The change would mean increasing the levels for one lab, while the other facility would need to lower its amount after gaining state approval last year for more mold and yeast in its products. The proposal came in December after patients complained about the state approving a request from AltaSci Labs last year to raise its limits from 10,000 units per gram to 1 million. The approval occurred via email, and patients weren’t notified of the change. State officials and AltaSci’s lab director have said the Aspergillus requirement makes the products safer. The other lab, Northeast Laboratories, left its limit at 10,000 units per gram. Some of Connecticut’s 54,000 medical marijuana patients have expressed concerns over transparency and the safety of the products after learning the state approved the change for AltaSci Labs.

420 Intel – Marijuana Industry News, 02/06/2022 19:00:00

Open article: https://420intel.com/articles/2022/02/07/should-connecticut-change-mold-and-yeast-levels-medical-cannabis