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Although it was slow to gain some steam, the medical marijuana train in Louisiana is finally rolling full steam ahead!

As I'm sure you know, medical pot is kind of legal in the Sportsman's paradise.  I say "kind of" because, as of right now, not every form of cannabis can be purchased and possessed legally by citizens of our state.  That's all set to change in January of 2022 when "smokable" marijuana can be recommended by a doctor.  When that happens, dispensaries in the Louisiana can start receiving and selling the raw marijuana to patients legally.  To keep up with the expected demand, the Bayou State is going to have to get really green really fast!

The gigantic pot farm in Ruston

LSU AgCenter partner Good Day Farm has announced that they will be opening a huge, 225,000-square-foot facility to boost their ability to provide the cheaper and more accessible raw form of cannabis to Louisiana patients in time for the January the 1st deadline.  That's when the bill making it legal John Bel Edwards singed into law on June 21st of this year takes effect.  That being said, even if everything falls into place perfectly - they're still cutting it close.

Time is ticking on this cash crop

The experts at Leafly say that the time it takes to grow a marijuana plant from seed to harvest is at least 8-9 weeks.  Right now, we are about 13 weeks from the deadline.  It seems like they have plenty of time, right?  Maybe not.  Although the facility is reportedly ready to grow, nothing can happen until the Louisiana Department of Agriculture regulators have inspected it and given their thumbs up.

According to Houma Today's report, Good Day Farm President John Davis expects that inspection to begin tomorrow (Tuesday, October 5th).  If all goes well, Davis says plants will be transported to the former warehouse in Ruston's Industrial Park where it will be the first such operation north of I-10 in Louisiana.  In that "best case scenario" this new farm should have smokable marijuana to deliver on January 1st.  If anything doesn't pass the inspection, there are sure to be delays.

The "side effects"

In addition to bolstering Louisiana's legal pot supply, this new expansion will bring a bunch of jobs to the area.  According to Davis, the new operation will initially provide 50 direct jobs - but that number is set to grow to around 250 as the market and industry in our state matures.  From the looks of it, they will need every available hand they can find as Good Day claims that once the farm is fully operational - it will produce a whopping 5,700 pounds of product every month!

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