Louisiana Patient FAQs

NuggMD connects prospective patients with state-licensed medical cannabis doctors so you can get your required medical evaluation fast, easy, and online from the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Browse our full list of patient FAQs, or contact our customer service team for one-on-one support.

To qualify for medical marijuana in Louisiana, you must be a Louisiana resident and have a condition that your physician considers to be debilitating. Out of state patients with state-issued MMJ IDs can purchase cannabis at dispensaries while they are visiting.

Louisiana allows cannabis recommendations for any medical condition that the doctor considers to be debilitating.

For now, getting a Louisiana medical marijuana card is the only way to legally use cannabis in the state, though there are other benefits for Louisiana med card holders.

It only costs $99 to get a Louisiana MMJ evaluation with NuggMD, and there’s no risk because you’re only billed if you’re approved for medical cannabis.

Your renewal costs the same as your initial evaluation, only $99! There is no state application fee. You can see any doctor you like for your renewal, even if you saw a different doctor last year.

No, Louisiana’s current legislation doesn’t require health insurance companies to cover medical cannabis.

A Louisiana medical marijuana recommendation is valid for 12 months after the date it is issued.

To get a medical marijuana card in Louisiana, an individual must first obtain a recommendation for medical cannabidiol from an eligible practitioner. If approved, your doctor will upload your recommendation to the dispensary of your choice, much like a physician uploads a prescription to the pharmacy. You can purchase and possess medical cannabis as soon as your physician uploads your recommendation to the dispensary.

You may be! Louisiana has a list of qualifying conditions but also allows the recommendation of cannabis for any conditions that the physician considers to be debilitating.

You won't receive a medical marijuana card in Louisiana. Rather, your doctor will submit your recommendation directly to your dispensary of choice like a prescription. You can ask for a copy of your recommendation if needed. You'll need a Louisiana-issued identification card or driver's license to get your evaluation and to purchase cannabis at the dispensary.

A dentist can't recommend cannabis in Louisiana, but a bill passed last year that allows certain nurse practitioners to recommend cannabis to their patients. It was signed by the governor and became effective on August 1, 2022.

You're not required to get a medical marijuana card in Louisiana. Instead, your purchase is similar to picking up a prescription at the pharmacy. Your doctor will send your recommendation to the dispensary, and you'll use your ID to pick up your medicine. Please allow 24 to 48 hours for your recommendation to be processed.

Absolutely! You can see any doctor you choose for your renewal evaluation. When you transfer to NuggMD, be sure to bring your medical records to help your friendly NuggMD practitioner provide a thorough and complete evaluation.

With NuggMD, you are ONLY charged for your evaluation if you are approved. We believe everyone deserves access to a qualified medical cannabis doctor, and the cost of an evaluation shouldn’t be a barrier.

Louisiana doesn’t issue a physical medical cannabis card. Instead, your physician will enter you into the state database and send your information to your dispensary of choice. You can visit the dispensary and purchase cannabis with your state-issued ID.

Yes you can. Patients with a criminal record aren't prohibited from participating in the program. However, if you're on parole or probation, you'll likely be prohibited from using cannabis as a condition of your parole.

You’ll only be charged if you’re approved for your medical marijuana certification. If not, your evaluation is free! If you sign up and pay for your evaluation, but then cancel before your evaluation, there is a small $10 fee for the payment processing. Once you’ve been approved and issued your certification, a refund for services will no longer be available. Please send an email to support@nuggmd.com with the subject line “Refund Request” and a brief description of your issue. We want to make sure you’re 100% satisfied with your purchase being that you, the customer, are the most important thing to us! Once a refund has been initiated, please allow 3-5 business days for the funds to transfer back to the card you used for the transaction. If any issues arise, please feel free to reach back out for further assistance.

You can buy all the usual forms of cannabis in Louisiana, including flower, which became legal for medical use in January 2022. Other forms include tinctures, edibles, topicals, pills, dissolvables, etc.

Patients don't pay the standard sales tax on their cannabis in Louisiana because it's considered medicine. There is a fee of seven percent which is charged to the production facility or permitted contractor that sells the product to the pharmacies, but that fee isn't paid directly by patients. The idea of adding sales tax to medical marijuana was fielded in the bill that legalized sale of medical marijuana flower, but that provision was removed from the bill over concerns that medicine should not be taxed.

Patients can buy medical cannabis at any of the state's nine dispensaries or their satellite locations once they open up. Recreational cannabis isn't yet legal in Louisiana.

Patients can purchase up to 2.5 ounces of flower every 14 days or a 30-day supply of any other product types. Recreational cannabis isn't legal in Louisiana yet.

Louisiana doesn't elaborate about how much medicine a patient can accumulate at home, but you can think of it much like a prescription for any other controlled substance. Patients should stay within their 2.5 ounce limit. If there is a little left over from the last batch, that shouldn't be a big deal, but accumulating several ounces at home will definitely be an issue and will likely bring up suspicion of diversion. To be safe, you'd be safer to wait till your batch is almost out before purchasing more.

Yes. A bill was recently passed to allow medical marijuana home delivery in Louisiana.

No. Smoking in public will result in a ticket under the Smoke-Free Air Act.

You can transport your cannabis home, but of course, you need to make sure it's sealed and stored in a locked glove box or the trunk. And never use cannabis in the car. In August 2022, the House clarified this prohibition by passing Act 478 (HB 234), which makes it explicitly illegal for passengers or drivers to smoke or vape in a vehicle. Driving while using cannabis will result in a DUI.

Unfortunately, no. Patients can't cultivate their own cannabis in the state yet.

Louisiana does have reciprocity for out of state patients with state issued MMJ IDs from their home state. Call the dispensary ahead of your visit to see what documentation they accept.

Medical marijuana patients with state issued MMJ IDs from their home state can purchase medical marijuana from Louisiana dispensaries while they visit. Call the dispensary ahead of time to verify that they will accept your documentation.

Louisiana doesn't issue medical marijuana cards to its patients. That said, you can ask for a copy of your recommendation. Whether another state accepts your documentation is up to the state you're visiting. Some states require that you see an in-state physician and register as a visiting patient. Other states allow you to possess but not purchase cannabis. Check with the state you're traveling to at least 30 days before you leave so you can plan ahead. For your convenience, we provide a regularly updated roundup of state reciprocity laws.

Louisiana has tighter control of its dispensaries than most states. They only allow nine dispensaries, which must operate only in their designated region in the state. Each pharmacy would become eligible to open another location after reaching 3,500 patients. This will happen soon, as participants in the program increased dramatically in 2022.

Yes you can. Patients with a criminal record aren't prohibited from participating in the program. However, if you're on parole or probation, you'll likely be prohibited from using cannabis as a condition of your parole.

Louisiana hasn't passed any protections for students who use medical cannabis yet, but the program is still in its infancy and legislation is still passing at a rapid rate, so check back for changes.

Louisiana hasn't passed any protections for organ transplant patients who use medical cannabis yet, but the program is still in its infancy and legislation is still passing at a rapid rate, so check back for changes.

Louisiana hasn't passed any protections for renters who use medical cannabis yet, but the program is still in its infancy and legislation is still passing at a rapid rate, so check back for changes.

If you're a state employee, no. The state passed HB988, which states that:

A. No state employer shall subject an employee or prospective employee to negative employment consequences based solely on a positive drug test for marijuana, marijuana components, including tetrahydrocannabinols, or marijuana metabolites if the employee or prospective employee has been clinically diagnosed as suffering from a debilitating medical condition and a licensed physician has recommended marijuana for therapeutic use by the employee in accordance with R.S. 40:1046.

B. Subsection A of this Section shall not be construed to prohibit the imposition of negative employment consequences on an employee who uses or is impaired by marijuana on the premises of the employer or during work hours or an employee whose principal responsibility is to operate a state vehicle, maintain a state vehicle, or supervise any employee who drives or maintains a state vehicle.

However, "C. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to emergency medical services, law enforcement, public safety officials, any state employee of the horse racing commission, and firefighter services."

Louisiana doesn't have a process for patients to assign medical marijuana caregivers.