Is CBD Legal In Louisiana

It seems there are new health trends coming along every day. Most people are trying to exercise more, eat healthier, and take fewer medications if they can. However, medication can be a necessity, regardless of a healthy lifestyle. Many people are turning to more natural remedies for their ailments when possible. Among these more natural remedies are CBD products.

Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are just two of the many cannabinoids found in both hemp and marijuana. Both of these cannabinoids have been researched and studied over the years. While some of the conditions that people say they treat are still being studied for effectiveness using CBD, a few confirmed uses have been found.

While it is still not legal for CBD products to make health claims, many that use them swear by the effectiveness when it comes to treating certain things. In 2018, the Farm Bill was passed and it made growing hemp and CBD products made from it legal on the federal level. The one stipulation is the hemp that is grown and products made from it can not contain more than 0.3% THC. This is because Thc can cause intoxication, but CBD does not. The bill finally removed hemp from the Schedule I Controlled Substance list in the United States.

Many cultures throughout the world have used hemp and marijuana for medicinal purposes over the centuries. Both plants have been used for mental and physical conditions. Since studies are ongoing concerning both of these plant cousins, it is hopeful that future research will reveal even more uses for the cannabinoids found in them.

What Is CBD Used For?

Even with the legalization of hemp and hemp products nationwide, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still controls what can and can not be done with them. CBD labels can not have any health claims on them, even though one CBD-based drug has gained FDA approval so far. Epidiolex is an anti-seizure medication derived from CBD. It helps to reduce or eliminate seizures in some forms of epilepsy.

While those that use CBD for various conditions, the effectiveness of CBD as a treatment is still under scrutiny. Some claims CBD users say it is helpful for are post-traumatic stress syndrome, sleeplessness, pain, nausea, and inflammation. Some studies show CBD can reduce inflammation in conditions like arthritis. If inflammation is reduced, it can help alleviate some of the pain that is associated with it.

Chemotherapy patients that have nausea after treatments say it helps relieve it.

Those that deal with anxiety caused by different issues, claim CBD helps keep them calm and relaxed. People use CBD products because they have fewer or no side effects that some medications and prescription drugs do. You should speak with your doctor before taking CBD to treat a medical condition. Your doctor can advise you whether or not CBD might be a possible alternative.

Why Is CBD Sometimes Illegal?

Even though marijuana is still illegal on the federal level, individual states have the authority to legalize it or not. At least 11 states have done so already. Another 33 states have authorized medical marijuana programs through legislation like Iowa and many others. What makes CBD legal in some states and not in others concerns the THC it contains.

In the states where marijuana has been legalized, you can use CBD products derived from hemp or marijuana. In the states where marijuana is still illegal, but have a medical marijuana program, hemp CBD with THC content of 0.3% or less is legal, but CBD from marijuana is not unless you are approved for their MM program.

Different states have different rules where their medical marijuana programs are concerned. All states where marijuana is still illegal requires a doctor’s recommendation for treatment with either marijuana or CBD derived from marijuana. Different US states have varying conditions that are considered eligible for marijuana treatment.

In states with MM programs, if approved, you will be issued a state card or certificate. In most cases, you are required to obtain your marijuana or marijuana-derived CBD from a state dispensary. If you are caught with CBD products that exceed the THC limit the state has imposed, you could face fines and other penalties the same as if you possessed marijuana.

Current CBD Laws In Louisiana

Unfortunately, Louisiana is still among the states that have strict marijuana laws. As in most states now, you can buy CBD products made from hemp legally in Louisiana as long as they meet federal standards of no more than 0.3% THC content. If caught in possession of marijuana of more than 14 grams in Louisiana, you risk a fine of up to $300 and 15 days in jail. The same penalty could be imposed if you have CBD products with more than the legal THC limit.

It wasn’t until June 2019 that Louisiana residents could buy CBD products legally. Governor John Bel Edwards signed HB 491 into law that allowed CBD sales and purchases in the state.

Even though Louisiana still has strict marijuana laws, it was among the first states to try passing a medical marijuana program in 1978. Governor Edwin Edwards introduced Act 725 for medical marijuana treatment of cancer and glaucoma. Sadly, this program never came into effect. It wasn’t until 2015 that Act 261 was passed. Even though physicians were not allowed to prescribe marijuana, they were allowed to recommend it to some patients with qualifying conditions.

The Act 261 bill was amended in 2019. It allowed only 88 state-licensed doctors to issue a physician’s recommendation for medical marijuana or marijuana-derived CBD as treatment for listed conditions. Today those conditions include cancer, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, muscular dystrophy, wasting syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.