Louisiana Revised Statutes section 40:1046 authorizes a recommendation of marijuana for therapeutic use. The Louisiana Department of Health regulates the program.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Laws and local rules change. Read the official sources at the bottom of this page.
Cannabis-friendly lawyers in Louisiana
Listed October 2026
These firms and attorneys are listed in the NORML lawyer directory for Louisiana. Cities and phone numbers below are taken from those listings.
Criminal defense and individual help
Barkemeyer Law Firm NORML directory
Carl Barkemeyer · Baton Rouge
Listed in the NORML lawyer directory for Louisiana as a criminal defense and marijuana lawyer in Baton Rouge.
Source: NORML listing
Hayes Law Office NORML directory
Randall T. Hayes · Alexandria
Listed in the NORML lawyer directory for Louisiana as a criminal defense and marijuana lawyer in Alexandria.
Source: NORML listing
Criminal defense
These lawyers defend cannabis and marijuana charges in Louisiana.
The Barry S. Ranshi Law Firm, LLC
Kenner
Every level, from a marijuana summons to felony distribution and conspiracy cases.
NOLA Criminal Law
New Orleans
His experience includes cases involving marijuana offenses, cocaine charges, possession, and other controlled substance violations.
The Law Offices of Ossie Brown
Baton Rouge
Louisiana has reduced penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana, but it remains illegal to possess marijuana for recreational use.
Smith & Bloom
New Orleans
Whether you need a drug trafficking attorney, a narcotics defense attorney in New Orleans, or a marijuana possession lawyer in New Orleans, Smith & Bloom is ready to stand by your side.
Starting a cannabis business
These lawyers help with licensing, forming a company, and compliance for a cannabis business in Louisiana.
Belle Terre Law Firm
Baton Rouge
She founded Belle Terre Law Firm, which is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She provides Cannabis, Business, Trademark, and Landlord/Tenant law services throughout the entire state of Louisiana and nationwide.
Not a referral. This list is not an endorsement, and there is no paid placement. We have not verified bar standing or discipline history. Before you hire anyone, confirm them through the Louisiana State Bar Association.
Store map
- Medical dispensaries are on the map. A medical card is required. No adult-use stores in Louisiana yet.
Therapeutic marijuana
- An authorized clinician may recommend, in a form allowed by Department of Health rules, raw or crude marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinols, or a chemical derivative, for therapeutic use by a patient diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition.
- The statute lists debilitating conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, specified neurodegenerative diseases, HIV, AIDS, seizure disorders, intractable pain, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, and any condition for which the patient is receiving hospice or palliative care.
- It also includes a condition not otherwise listed that the authorized clinician, in the clinician's clinical opinion, considers debilitating and is qualified to treat.
- Recommend means an opinion, within a bona fide clinician-patient relationship, that therapeutic cannabis may be helpful to the patient's condition or symptoms.
- The Department of Health says it has assumed regulatory authority over the therapeutic marijuana program.