RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
ACT 444 (HB 190) 2022 Regular Session Travis Johnson
Existing law authorizes licensed physicians to recommend marijuana for therapeutic use,
known commonly as "medical marijuana", by patients clinically diagnosed as suffering from
any debilitating medical condition defined in existing law. New law authorizes medical
psychologists and licensed nurse practitioners who have prescriptive authority, in addition
to licensed physicians, to recommend medical marijuana to patients.
New law revises prior law relative to medical marijuana to replace the term "physician" with
the term "authorized clinician". New law provides that all of the following licensed health
professionals are authorized to recommend medical marijuana to patients and shall be
deemed "authorized clinicians":
(1)Any physician licensed by and in good standing with the La. State Board of Medical
Examiners to practice medicine in this state.
(2)Any nurse practitioner licensed by and in good standing with the La. State Board of
Nursing to practice advanced practice registered nursing in this state and who has
prescriptive authority conferred by the La. State Board of Nursing.
(3)Any medical psychologist licensed by and in good standing with the La. State Board
of Medical Examiners to practice medical psychology in this state.
New law updates references to health professionals who, per new law, may recommend
medical marijuana within the following areas of existing law:
(1)Law providing immunity from prosecution for possession of marijuana (R.S.
40:966(F)).
(2)Law providing for a data system for the collection and analysis of clinical
information associated with the use of medical marijuana by patients (R.S. 40:1168.1
et seq.).
Effective August 1, 2022.
(Amends R.S. 40:966(F)(1), (7), and (8)(a), 1046(A)(1), (2)(a)(xviii), (xxii), and (b), (3), (4),
(5)(b), (6), and (C)(1), 1168.2(2)-(5), and 1168.3(A)(1)(b)(iii), (iv), and (2)(b); Adds R.S.
40:1046(B))