Healing Naturally: Discovering the Benefits of Medical Marijuana in Louisiana

People suffering from chronic conditions (like PTSD and chronic stress) often try numerous treatments with traditional medicine only to become frustrated when providers and prescriptions don’t deliver on their promises of healing. 

If this is the case for you, it’s time to turn to a natural, more effective alternative.

For relief from chronic, debilitating conditions that are disrupting your quality of life, consider medical marijuana—a highly safe and effective treatment for health challenges like PTSD and chronic stress. In this guide, we’re exploring the benefits of medical marijuana and detailing how you can access this game-changing medicine in Louisiana so that you can take back your life.

Benefits of Medical Cannabis

Despite what Big Pharma wants you to think, marijuana isn’t just a recreational substance on par with alcohol or illicit drugs—it’s medicine. 

In fact, today’s medical cannabis providers have the expertise to help you find the right dose, strain, and administration method so that you can find relief from conditions like:

• Trauma-related distress – If you’ve experienced trauma in your past, you’re not alone—especially if you’ve also had difficulty finding relief with traditional Western pharmaceutical treatments. Medical cannabis can help you find enough relief from the day-to-day physical and mental impacts of PTSD and other trauma-related disorders to start working toward positive change. 

• Chronic stress – Instead of just accepting stress as a part of our lives, medical cannabis gives us the power to find stability and calm. Relieving stress can help us unlock and rebuild the all-important mind-body connection that keeps us grounded and prevents physical manifestations of stress, like trouble sleeping. 

• Chronic pain – If you suffer from chronic pain—whether it’s the result of a complex medical condition or an injury in your past—medical cannabis can help you find the relief you need to enjoy life again. 

Medical cannabis is safer and more effective than traditional pharmaceuticals. It’s a plant-based solution that paves the way for natural healing, and there are limited side effects—unlike the prescription medications you may have taken to relieve stress, treat anxiety, or manage pain in the past. 

Medical Marijuana Louisiana: A Brief History

When it comes to medical marijuana, Louisiana has been engaged since the early days of legislation. Here’s a quick summary of Louisiana’s medical cannabis conversation:

• The first bill regarding medical marijuana in Louisiana was signed into law in 1978 when Gov. Edwin Edwards legalized the medicine for patients undergoing chemotherapy and treatments for glaucoma. 

• The 1978 bill created the Marijuana Prescription Review Board, an arm of the Department of Health and Human Resources in the state. But the Board dragged its feet, failing to provide state residents with products and distribution outlets. 

• An amendment to the law in 1991 aimed to light a fire under the Board, setting a deadline for full program rollout by January 1992. This amendment also added spastic quadriplegia to the list of approved medical conditions. 

• However, the Department of Health didn’t make efforts to create rules related to medical marijuana until 1994, and even then, they claimed they didn’t have the authority to permit the growing, distribution, and dispensing of medical marijuana. 

• Louisiana residents had a problem: It was legal for their doctors to prescribe medical marijuana, but patients had no way to access it. In 2014, State Senator Fred Mills introduced a bill that would establish a medical marijuana industry complete with dispensaries and cultivation policies. The bill, unfortunately, died in committee, and state legislators continued to deny relief to its residents.

• Fast-forward to 2017, when Governor Edwards signed a bill establishing arrest protections for medical patients—who still didn’t have ready access to medical cannabis. After this bill passed, cultivation and dispensary development progressed until 2019, when the first medical cannabis products were made available to patients with prescriptions.

Why were Louisiana residents deprived of care for so long despite a long-standing precedent legalizing medical marijuana? Because pharmaceutical companies stand to benefit when the biggest threats to their dominance—medical cannabis growers, distributors, and dispensaries—remain inaccessible to patients. 

Luckily, these days are over in Louisiana. Patients looking for relief from chronic conditions can finally find the healing they deserve.

How to Access Medical Cannabis in Louisiana

Getting a medical marijuana card in Louisiana is relatively simple:

1. Patients can make an appointment with a qualifying healthcare provider to talk about their symptoms and health goals. 

1. The provider will prescribe medical cannabis if they see fit, and the patient can apply for a medical marijuana card. 

1. If approved, the patient will receive a medical marijuana card, allowing them to pick up their prescriptions at dispensaries throughout the state. 

TeleLeaf: Connecting You to Life-Changing Treatment

While it’s relatively simple for patients to access medical marijuana in Louisiana, it’s helpful to have trusted, compassionate experts on your side to help guide you through the application process. That’s why we created TeleLeaf. 

At TeleLeaf, we’re not just doctors and medical cannabis experts—we’re also patients. We’ve experienced the life-changing benefits of medical cannabis firsthand, and we’re here to help people around the US experience those same benefits.

Reach out to our team today to start the process of applying for your medical marijuana card—the first step to accessing the long-term relief you deserve.

Sources: 

NOLA.com. A Short History of Medical Marijuana in Louisiana. https://www.nola.com/news/politics/a-short-history-of-medical-marijuana-in-louisiana/article_94ce73b7-b030-5d20-9e34-91e7dd046bf0.html 

Safe Access Now. History of Medical Cannabis in Louisiana. https://www.safeaccessnow.org/history_of_medical_cannabis_in_louisiana