After a contentious hearing in yesterday’s (May 8) legislative session, Louisiana’s House Agriculture Committee voted 6-4 to strip Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain’s latest regulations for medical marijuana growers.
Louisiana State University’s grower, GB Sciences, opposed the regulations, which limited who would be allowed in restricted areas, what video surveillance growers must implement, and how visitors are handled, among other things. According to Chairman Clay Schexnayder, Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain shouldn’t have used the emergency process to implement the new rules, saying they didn’t meet the criteria.
The measure to overturn the rules was brought by Rep. Dustin Miller, who has been frustrated with the implementation of Louisiana’s medical marijuana program which, after four years, still has not begun dispensing therapeutic cannabis to patients.
Strain now has the option of reissuing the rules by either rewriting them to meet emergency criteria or using a process that would allow public comment.
Jenn Bentley is a writer and editor originally from Cadiz, Kentucky. Her writing has been featured in publications such as The Examiner, The High Tech Society, FansShare, Yahoo News, and others. When she’s not writing or editing, Jenn spends her time raising money for Extra Life and advocating for autism awareness.
