Legal cannabis is coming soon to Louisiana
BATON ROUGE- Marijuana is still illegal with the federal government but, Louisiana now joins many other states to legalize it themselves. However, the final product they make won't be getting anyone high.
John Davis, the Executive Director for Baton Rouge's GB Sciences, showed WBRZ the fully functioning marijuana grow house in south Baton Rouge. He says there will be 100 to 150 plants.
“We control the entire environment; we are mother nature in here. From when its night and day to the temperature the humidity to the nutrients we provide the plants," said Davis
No tax dollars were put into this facility. It's all private investment regulated by the state and overseen by the LSU Ag center. The first crop will be ready by November and then processed on site into the non-intoxicating CBD oil. Then it'll be available for a handful of ailments by prescription.
Louisiana state law only allows LSU and Southern University Ag Centers to grow and process marijuana, however, some local entrepreneurs may have found a loophole
“Along with the tinctures [of cannabis] we have edible, we have face, hair and body care products, we have stronger cancer patient products," said Piencot.
We interviewed Hunter Poiencot last week who's shop exclusively sells CBD products made out of state with prices ranging from 20 to 100 dollars.
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"All of our products come from hemp, so they are legal you don't need any medicinal license, anything like that,"said Piencot.
He says they're just as good as what LSU and Southern will make but the LSU Ag center strongly disagrees with this statement.
“The products that we're developing will go through strenuous with guidelines established by both the department of agriculture and forestry," said Hampton Grunewald, Vice President of the LSU Ag Center.
They've even suggested law enforcement should intervene in the popular CBD oil market.
“We're working with state and local law enforcement to try and determine what exactly is going on and who the regulators are for those," said Grunewald.
Eventually, GB Sciences, the private company managing the operation, plans to fill its entire 30 thousand square foot warehouse with its marijuana grow of the processing operation. While LSU Ag hopes to cash in long-term on the research.
The CBD oil made at LSU and Southern university Ag centers will only be available through a prescription at a select number of dispensaries which is still months away.