First medical marijuana crop passes state inspection

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Louisiana has cleared another major hurdle in the race to get its medical marijuana program running. The state’s first medical marijuana crop has passed each laboratory inspection conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF), LSU AgCenter officials confirmed Tuesday.

State law requires scientists to test the raw crop’s potency and search for pesticides, residual solvents, heavy metals, and mycotoxins. Now, GB Sciences and the LSU AgCenter will extract the medicine and begin work on a finished product that must also be tested.

Once the medicine is prepared, the growers will not immediately sell the product to Louisiana’s nine licensed pharmacies for consumption. Instead, they will hold the product until they have enough raw crop to satisfy a steady demand, ensuring the state does not run out of marijuana.

GB Sciences is currently using a temporary pod to grow its marijuana. The size of the pod limits the number of plants they can grow, and growers are still waiting for LDAF to approve a move into their permanent facility.

LSU AgCenter officials did not indicate when a final product could hit the shelves. By GB Sciences’ most recent estimates though, thousands of potential patients could have access to the medicine in the spring.

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