Controlled Substances Part 1: The Controlled Substances Act

Question 1

What drugs are classified in a different schedule in this state compared to the federal schedule (e.g., cannabidiol, Fioricet, gabapentin, Lomotil, pseudoephedrine)?

Answer 1

Schedule II - carisoprodol

Schedule V - ephedrine, phenylpropanolamine, pseudoephedrine

LA law refers to schedules II-N and III-N in order to denote non-narcotic drugs in schedules II and III respectively.

Question 2

Can marijuana be legally obtained from a state-approved dispensary?

Answer 2

Yes

Question 3

Can marijuana be obtained from a state-approved dispensary for recreational use or only for medical purposes?

Answer 3

Medical use only

Question 4

Is medical marijuana limited to certain indications (if yes, what indications)?

Answer 4

Yes, it is limited to a list of generally debilitating medical conditions.

Examples include glaucoma, cancer, HIV/AIDS, neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. dementia), intractable pain, chronic pain associated with fibromyalgia or sickle cell disease, seizure disorders, designated conditions associated with autism spectrum disorder, conditions associated with hospice or palliative care, cachexia or wasting syndrome, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury). For a complete list of conditions, please review the state law.

The law also includes any condition not otherwise specified that a physician, in his medical opinion, considers debilitating to an individual patient and is qualified through his medical education and training to treat.

Question 5

Does a practitioner need authorization from the state to recommend medical marijuana (if yes, what practitioners can obtain authorization)?

Answer 5

Yes, the physician must register with the LA State Board of Medical Examiners

Question 6

How does a practitioner authorize a patient to obtain medical marijuana (e.g., enter the patient into a medical marijuana database with an approved indication)?

Answer 6

The Physician must fill out a Form for Recommendation for Therapeutic Marijuana

The patient must be known to the physician. The patient’s prescription monitoring program database must always be reviewed prior to recommending.