Medical marijuana is getting closer to reality in Louisiana. If Governor Bobby Jindal gives it the green light, and signs the legislation, there's already a name for the new law. It will be named after Lafayette Parish Sheriff Mike Neustrom, and his wife Ceci's daughter Alison Neustrom.

Alison, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2013, was an advocate for medical marijuana. She addressed the legislature about it last year, but it didn't have enough support to move forward. She died a few months later in September.

Lawmakers have stated that Alison's brave fight, and advocacy, played a big role in moving the medical marijuana legislation forward.

Her sisters, and family hope that Alison's legacy will bring help and comfort to many for years to come.

The state House on Thursday approved legislation that would clear the path for medical marijuana use in Louisiana.

The House voted 70-29 for the Senate-passed measures that is now nearing the final hurdle before becoming law. It returns to the Senate for approval of House changes.

One of the amendments was to name the proposed law after the late Alison Neustrom, who testified for the bill last year saying people like her needed help in battling cancer.

Neustrom’s father, Mike, is Lafayette Parish sheriff. The state’s sheriffs association opposed the bill last year. This year they helped tighten the wording to address law enforcement objections.

The Louisiana District Attorneys Association opposes the legislation.

Access to medical marijuana may soon become a reality in the Louisiana.

The State House of Representatives approved the Senate Bill 143 with a 70-29 vote Thursday. The bill will now head to Gov. Bobby Jindal's desk. Jindal has said he plans to sign it into law.

The law would allow The Department of Agriculture and Forestry to issue a special license for the production of medical marijuana at one geographic location. Patients with  cancer, glaucoma and severe cerebral palsy are eligible for the prescription.

The debate on the House floor lasted nearly five hours and got a little heated as state Rep. Sherman Mack, R-Livingston, took the stage.

Senate Bill 143 will legalize marijuana (cannabinoids) as a medicine and take Louisiana back to  100 years ago, before there was any regulation of medicine by the federal Food and Drug Administration. That regulation has given us the best medicine approval process in the world. All medicines must be proven to be safe and effective by the FDA. SB 143 removes the safeguards that are in our state law that require that cannabinoid medicines meet FDA standards.

With summer just around the corner, many legislative sessions are nearing an end, but that doesn't mean the end for cannabis progress! This week brings surprising and heartwarming news from down on the bayou in Louisiana, while California’s discussing legalization, New York is gearing up to select growers for their medical program, and India just held their first ever medical cannabis conference.

U.S. Updates

CALIFORNIA

US law enforcement's infiltration and takedown of the Silk Road underground marketplace has turned up yet another court case, with a New Orleans man charged with selling counterfeit shopping coupons through the site, and its successors, on an epic scale.

Gov. Bobby Jindal on Thursday said he plans to sign legislation that would change the state's medical marijuana laws and soften penalties for marijuana offenders.

There are three bills moving through the state legislature affecting Louisiana's marijuana laws. Two of them (SB 241) and (HB 149), which are nearly identical, would reduce the tough sentences judges are allowed to hand down for repeat marijuana offenses; reduce a second marijuana offense from felony to misdemeanor; and allow first-time convictions for simple possession to be erased after two years.

The bills also set up a simple possession charge for smaller amounts of marijuana and more serious charges that can be brought for larger amounts of marijuana that drug dealers and distributors typically possess.

Two bills aimed at softening the state's penalties on marijuana that died last year have been resuscitated with the help of an unlikely partner: The Louisiana Sheriffs' Association.

As many lawmakers have found out over the years, it can be nearly impossible to convince other legislators to support bills that are opposed by Louisiana Sheriffs. The influential organization's members packed a committee hearing on a bill last year seeking to reduce the state's tough marijuana penalties, and the committee moved swiftly to kill it shortly after.

Louisiana may be about to reform its harsh marijuana laws, but not Kansas; a Nebraska CBD cannabis oil bill dies, a Michigan legalization initiative goes back to the drawing board, the Germans and the Israelis grapple with marijuana policy, and more.

Marijuana Policy

By Jacob Sullum