A bill to expand medical marijuana in Louisiana won House passage Wednesday after passionate testimony from lawmakers, including one who said his own daughter may benefit from the drug.
The House voted 62-31 to approve Senate Bill 271 from Sen. Fred Mills, R-Parks, Gannett Louisiana reports. It goes back to the Senate for concurrence and then to Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has said he will sign the bill into law.
Mills’ bill would expand the number of conditions that could be treated with the drug, which would be taken orally in an oil form, change the wording from “prescribe” to “recommend” to protect doctors and offer public bids to grow the crop if the LSU and Southern AgCenters decline to cultivate it.
“It’s another tool to treat my baby girl,” says Rep. Reid Falconer, his voice cracking, whose daughter suffers from epilepsy.
Some members questioned whether scientific evidence supported medical pot’s effectiveness, and others expressed fear that the bill’s approval could lead to complete legalization.
“My concern is this bill is nothing more than creep and we’re working our way toward legalization of marijuana,” says Rep. Scott Simon, R-Abita Springs.
But others dismissed the concerns.
“The notion that this is a gateway (to legalization) is nonsense; it’s fear-mongering,” says Rep. Terry Landry, D-New Iberia.
Even after Edwards signs the bill, it could be up to two years before the drug is available to patients, says Rep. Helena Moreno, D-New Orleans.
But Moreno says medical marijuana could ultimately change lives for those suffering.
“I feel honored (to carry the bill in the House for Mills) because I believe it’s important to a lot of people around the state with debilitating illnesses,” she says.
