Frustration over Louisiana’s long-delayed medical marijuana program bubbled up at the State Capitol Tuesday, with lawmakers on a House panel advancing a proposal to strip the state’s agriculture department of its regulatory power over the program following a probe of who’s to blame for lengthy delays.
A debate has played out for months between GB Sciences, LSU’s growing partner, and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture, which is tasked with regulating it, over which side is at fault for the repeated delays.
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After a lengthy back-and-forth between the two sides, lawmakers on the House Health and Welfare panel advanced a proposal to strip the Agriculture Department of its regulatory power and give it instead to the Louisiana Department of Health on a 6-4 vote.
“The current process is broken,” said state Rep. Dustin Miller, D-Opelousas, who introduced the bill. “The current process is not working for the state and it’s not working for the patients.”
