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Medical Cannabis in Louisiana

Answering some important questions before considering an consultation.

Medical Cannabis: FAQ

Is Medical Cannabis legal?

Medical Cannabis legality is on a state-by-state basis.  Currently Louisiana Medical Cannabis is legal for residents of Louisiana only.  Patients from non-LA states are restricted from the program.  

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Federally, Cannabis is a Schedule I drug, but the Rohrabacher-Blumenaur Amendment is a federal legislation that prevents the Justice Department from interfering with state Medical Cannabis laws.  It became law in December 2014.

Who qualifies for Medical Cannabis?

Currently for Louisiana residents only, the qualifying debilitating medical conditions include: 

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  • Abdominal Pain

  • Addiction

  • ADHD

  • Arthritis

  • AIDS

  • Alzheimer's Disease

  • ALS 

  • Anxiety

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Back Pain

  • Cachexia

  • Cancer

  • Cerebral Palsy

  • Chronic Pain

  • Crohn's Disease

  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

  • Chronic Kidney Disease

  • Cirrhosis

  • Cystitis

  • Concussion

  • Dementia

  • Depression

  • Endometriosis

  • Epilepsy

  • Fibromyalgia

  • Glaucoma

  • Headaches

  • Hepatitis C

  • HIV

  • Huntington's Disease

  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease

  • Intractable Pain

  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome

  • Insomnia

  • Joint Pain

  • Lewy Body Dementia

  • Lupus

  • Motor Neuron Disease

  • Muscle Spasms

  • Multiple Sclerosis

  • Muscular Dystrophy

  • Neck Pain

  • Neurodegenerative Diseases

  • OCD

  • Nausea

  • Neuropathy

  • Parkinson's Disease

  • PTSD

  • Restless Leg Syndrome

  • Seizures

  • Sickle Cell Disease

  • Spasticity

  • Spinal Cord Injury

  • Spinal Muscular Atrophy

  • Stroke

  • Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Tourette's Syndrome

  • Wasting Syndrome

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I Have Chronic Pain.  Am I qualified to be on Medical Cannabis?

Currently, Louisiana law states that in order to qualify for Medical Cannabis, several conditions must be satisfied:

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1. The pain should have been present for over a year at the minimum.

2. Your symptoms are still present and debilitating.

3. Medical attempts to treat the pain have failed. 

4. The pain should be subjectively severe enough that ordinarily opioids would have been (or were) prescribed.

5. Patient discloses to physician any controlled substances currently taken.

6. Patients cannot obtain the same controlled substance from multiple physicians.

7. Patients must receive permission from their primary pain management doctor if they wish to seek additional pain management options.

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Please have all medical history of your treatment progress available.

What Medical Cannabis products are available?

Currently, Medical Cannabis is available in tinctures only.  The tinctures come in three dosages:

- THC-Rich  300mg THC/30mL (10mg THC/mL)

- Balanced 1:1  150mg CBD: 150mg THC/30mL (5mg CBD: 5mg THC/mL)

- CBD-Rich  1200mg CBD:60mg THC/30mL (40mg CBD: 2mg THC /mL

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Product pricing depends on the dispensary, but it is between $100 to $150 per 30 mL bottle (one month's supply)

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In the future, more products may be available including Oral thin films (like Listerine strips), Medical Lozenges (like cough drops), and Meter dose inhalers (like Asthma inhalers).

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How do I setup my first Medical Cannabis appointment?

Before setting up an appointment, make sure to collect all medical documents from your physician regarding your qualifying condition.  Be as detailed and comprehensive as possible.  

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Once you have all medical documentation, give the office a call so that we may answer any questions you have before scheduling an appointment.  504-513-2531

What are the steps towards obtaining Medical Cannabis for my treatment?

Please have all past medical record available for your condition. 

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Once the patient has seen the physician, and Medical Cannabis recommendation is agreed upon, paperwork will be faxed to the dispensary.

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There are 11 Medical Cannabis dispensaries in Louisiana.  The dispensary serving the New Orleans area is located at:

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H&W Drug Store

4718 Paris Avenue, New Orleans LA 70122

Tel: 504-301-2363

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Once a Cannabis Recommendation is faxed, you'll have to pick the medication up at the dispensary.

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Please bring a valid Louisiana identification.

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Does my health insurance cover Medical Cannabis?

Health insurance will NOT cover Medical Cannabis - neither the product nor the office visit, at this time.  That being said, it is $250 for the initial consult.

What are the side-effects of Medical Cannabis?

Not every patient on Medical Cannabis will experience the same side-effects, if any at all.  Keep in mind, Medical Cannabis is currently absorbed under the tongue, and not smoked/inhaled.  DO NOT attempt to vape Medical Cannabis, as the contents may induce lipoid pneumonia (chest pain, chronic cough, and breathing difficulties).

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Also, if you are allergic to Coconut and/or Coconut oil, Medical Cannabis products in Louisiana are not recommended at this time.

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Side effects of Medical Cannabis may include: 

- headache

- dizziness

- drowsiness

- dry mouth

- nausea

- paranoia

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How much Medical Cannabis should I take?

Taking too much Medical Cannabis will decreases the therapeutic effect. 


There are recommended dosages that the physician will start a patient off with - depending on patient's past experience with Cannabis.  Dosage will be increased or decreased depending on weekly feedback between patient and physician.

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That being said, the office (us) will be checking up with patients on a weekly basis to modify a patient's dosage for optimal effect.  

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For patients experiencing chronic pain, a maximum of three months per checkup is mandatory.

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