Medicinal Marijuana Crop Delayed Until November

The Ag Commissioner is meeting today with the marijuana grower tasked with providing medicinal cannabis in the wake of news that this year’s crop is being delayed until November. The pot’s producer, GB Sciences, is blaming the delay on resistance from the Department of Agriculture, but Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says that’s just not true.

“The information they initially submitted was very inadequate, and it wasn’t even on our forms. We told them what their deficiencies were and they have to correct them. That’s the bottom line, it has to be done right.”

Strain says the organization needs to clear the state police background checks, turn in all their paperwork (he says he’s been receiving crucial pieces as late as yesterday morning), and provide standard operating procedures before the will be permitted to develop at a full site.

GB Sciences says their paperwork is in order, and they’ve resubmitted the proper forms, and have been begging for a meeting with the Ag Department, but haven’t been able to get a sit down to hash out the difference, but Strain, speaking yesterday, says they’ve been in frequent contact about what is needed.

“We sat down with them a number of times to try to work through these particular issues, but they have to submit us the proper data for us to approve, and we’ve received data as late as (yesterday) morning.”

The final, distributed product must be in pill or oil form, and not the generally imagined smokeable version.

The holdups are starting to frustrate the pharmacies who’ve been authorized to supply the product in Louisiana. Greg Morrison, who owns the license for Northeast Louisiana, says the uncertainty surrounding the start dates are costing businesses money. He says pharmacies just want clarity on when their patients will get access to the treatment.

“The whole thing of this is to treat people, and I I understand if they want to have all their Is dotted and Ts crossed, but at some point we have to drop the flag and start the race.”

Strain says GB has been given provisional approval to begin growing in a temporary facility while the regulatory process continues on a longer term permanent lab.