Louisiana’s first medical marijuana harvest to be delayed

The first crop of medical marijuana in Louisiana will come later than anticipated due to hiccups in the regulatory process, pushing the expected harvest to late-October or early-November.
LSU AgCenter and its growing partner GB Sciences had planned for medical marijuana products to be available for the select-few approved pharmacies by September, but there’s been a delay in the manufacturing process while awaiting final approval from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
“We are breaking new ground and there’s absolutely no model for this in Louisiana,” says John Davis, president of GB Sciences.
While a former Pepsi distribution site off Highland Road is in the final stages of its transformation into a medical marijuana facility, a “pod” for growing the plants has been installed to the exterior.
It’s there where GB Sciences intended to genetically grow marijuana until construction wrapped up in the fall. However, the pod and how it will be run has yet to receive LDAF approval.
Ashley Mullens, with the LSU AgCenter, says LSU has been working to get the facility operating as quickly and as transparently as possible. She says they submitted their first version of the standard of procedures in April and submitted a third version last week, based on notes from LDAF.
Tabitha Irvin, LDAF’s director of medical marijuana program, says the issue with the 160- to 170-page document is there aren’t enough details.
“We’re working with (LDAF) as best as we can to answer all of their requests,” Mullens says. “We’ve been an open book and have been meeting when requested. We’re trying to get this approval.”
LSU AgCenter will meet with a team from LDAF tomorrow to discuss existing concerns with the document.
Once LSU AgCenter receives the OK, Davis says GB Sciences will begin the growth process.
“Everyone is working towards the same goals, to provide safe products for patients, and it’s just that the government works at a different speed than the private sector,” Davis says. “We have to recognize this has never been done in the history of Louisiana.”