While Louisiana has a medical marijuana program, it does not provide MMJ cards to patients participating in this program. The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) oversees the state’s medical marijuana program. As of 2024, there are 10 licensed dispensaries in the state authorized to sell medical marijuana to patients. To buy cannabis for medicinal use, patients must provide written recommendations from their physicians at dispensaries.
Louisiana only allows board-certified physicians to recommend patients for medical cannabis use. To certify patients, a physician must also be in good standing with Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners and have a marijuana registration permit. They must also have a bona fide relationship with the patient they certify for medical cannabis and confirm that the patient was diagnosed with one of the qualifying medical conditions recognized in Louisiana for medical marijuana intervention. While physicians do not charge for medical cannabis recommendations, they may charge for the visits during which such certifications were made. Medical marijuana patients in Louisiana may expect to pay between $100 and $400 for physician consultations leading to medical marijuana certification. This is the only fee patients may expect to pay to participate in the Louisiana medical marijuana program.