An authorized Louisiana clinician can recommend medical marijuana for a debilitating condition. Here's exactly what to expect — before, during, and after your first visit.
Louisiana's program is regulated by the Louisiana Department of Health. There's nothing to register and no state fee.
A Louisiana physician or nurse practitioner evaluates you and decides whether to recommend medical marijuana.
Your recommendation goes straight to the licensed retailer you choose.
Recommendations last up to 12 months. Renew before yours expires.
Never done this before? Here's what happens at each stage of getting your first Louisiana recommendation.
Louisiana leaves that to the clinician's judgment rather than a fixed list. A visit is how you find out.
Based on La. R.S. 40:1046 and Louisiana Department of Health rules as of 2026. General information only.
An authorized clinician may recommend medical marijuana for a condition they consider debilitating, within a genuine clinician-patient relationship. Examples include:
The final decision belongs to the clinician. See the Louisiana Department of Health for program details.
A licensed retailer along I-49. Ask your clinician to send your recommendation here, bring photo ID, and confirm hours before you go.
The full list of licensed locations is on the Louisiana Department of Health website.
Opelousas is known as the Zydeco Capital of the World — accordion, rubboard, and a Creole musical heritage that still fills the parish on weekends.
“I walked in with a dozen questions. The clinician answered every one, and my recommendation was at the retailer that same week.”
— Raymond J., Opelousas“I put it off for months because I thought it would be complicated. No card, no state forms — it was simpler than I expected.”
— Claudette F., EuniceLouisiana lets an authorized clinician recommend medical marijuana for a condition they consider debilitating. The visit is where that's decided.
Records about your condition, a list of your current medications, photo ID, and the name of the retailer you'd like to use.
No. Louisiana doesn't issue cards or charge patients a state fee; your recommendation goes straight to the retailer.
Up to 12 months. The clinician sets the exact expiration date.
On the Louisiana Department of Health website.
Opelousas, the seat of St. Landry Parish, dates to the early 1700s and is known as the Zydeco Capital of the World. It sits along I-49 at the northern edge of Acadiana. Opelousas patients follow the same statewide rules as everyone in Louisiana's medical marijuana program.
Louisiana's program is governed by La. R.S. 40:1046 and regulated by the Louisiana Department of Health. Recreational marijuana isn't legal in Louisiana.
Driving impaired is illegal. Federally, state-licensed medical marijuana moved to Schedule III in 2026, but it remains a controlled substance. See the Louisiana Department of Health for current rules.