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Muscular Dystrophy and cannabis in Louisiana

The state currently does not list this condition as qualifying, and the program does not provide open-ended physician discretion to add conditions. Verify with the state regulator, because programs change.

Not on the qualifying list
✗ No
LEGAL
Physician-recommendatio…
POSSESSION
$0/yr
STATE FEE
1–7 d
TIMELINE
Not on the qualifying list. The state currently does not list this condition as qualifying, and the program does not provide open-ended physician discretion to add conditions. Verify with the state regulator, because programs change.

Louisiana statute and program

The Louisiana Therapeutic Use of Marijuana Program is the operating authority for Louisiana patient certification. The authoritative legal text is: La. R.S. 40:1046: Therapeutic Use of Marijuana Act (HB 149 of 2015).

What the evidence says about cannabis and Muscular Dystrophy

Muscular dystrophy refers to a group of more than 30 inherited genetic disorders characterized by progressive muscle weakness and degeneration caused by mutations in genes encoding proteins that maintain muscle-fiber integrity. The major clinical subtypes include:

For the full evidence base, including the NASEM tier, randomized trial summaries, and symptom-domain breakdown, read the mmjnow Muscular Dystrophy page.

How to qualify in Louisiana

The Louisiana Therapeutic Use of Marijuana Program requires the following registration steps for a Muscular Dystrophy patient (or any qualifying diagnosis):

  1. See a Louisiana-licensed physician. Since Act 491 (2020), any Louisiana-licensed physician in good standing with the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners may recommend medical cannabis under La. R.S. 40:1046 — no special "marijuana physician" registration is required. The physician recommends therapeutic cannabis for any condition the physician in their medical judgment considers debilitating (broad practitioner-discretion model).
  2. Receive the physician’s written recommendation. Unlike most states, Louisiana does not maintain a separate patient registry or issue a state ID card. The Louisiana program is administered through the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy and operates as a recommendation-based system: the physician’s signed recommendation IS the patient documentation. The recommendation is valid for one year from the date issued.
  3. No state patient registration fee. Louisiana does not charge a state patient registration fee, because there is no patient registry. The patient pays only the physician recommendation fee (typically $100–$250 for the initial evaluation) plus product costs at the dispensary. Caregivers are designated through the dispensary at point of sale.
  4. Purchase from one of nine Louisiana therapeutic marijuana pharmacies. With the physician’s written recommendation and a Louisiana driver license or state ID, patients may purchase from any of the nine licensed Louisiana therapeutic marijuana pharmacies (one per Department of Health region). Permitted forms include flower (legalized 2022), tinctures, oils, edibles, capsules, topicals, and metered-dose inhalers. Louisiana does not honor out-of-state medical cards.
State registration fee
$0
Physician visit (typical)
$100–$250
Certification to card
1–7 days
Out-of-state patients
Not eligible
Minors
Eligible with caregiver

For full Louisiana registration steps, fees, and reciprocity rules, see the Louisiana cannabis-laws page.

ICD-10 code

A certifying physician documenting Muscular Dystrophy for the Louisiana medical cannabis program will typically record ICD-10 G71.0 or SNOMED-CT 76670001 in the patient's record. The state registry does not itself collect ICD-10 codes in most programs, but the physician's chart is the audit trail if the certification is later reviewed.

Frequently asked questions

Does Louisiana list Muscular Dystrophy as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis?

No. Louisiana's qualifying-condition list does not currently include Muscular Dystrophy, and the state's program does not give physicians open-ended discretion to add conditions outside the list. Patients with Muscular Dystrophy in Louisiana have limited in-state pathways under the medical program as written. Options to verify and pursue include: petitioning the state regulator to add the condition (where the statute permits public petitions); consulting a physician about whether a co-occurring listed condition could support certification; or reviewing whether the state's program is undergoing legislative expansion. Louisiana program rules change, so verify the current list with the regulator before drawing a final conclusion.

How do I get a Louisiana medical marijuana card for Muscular Dystrophy?

Because Louisiana does not currently list Muscular Dystrophy as a qualifying condition, a card for Muscular Dystrophy alone may not be obtainable in-state under the program rules as written. Step one is finding a physician licensed in Louisiana who is registered with Louisiana Therapeutic Use of Marijuana Program and willing to evaluate Muscular Dystrophy cases. Step two is collecting your records (diagnosis documentation, treatment history, and the ICD-10 code your physician will use) and bringing them to the certification visit. Step three is the physician's certification through the state registry, followed by the patient registration application, state fee, and waiting period before the card is issued. Louisiana does not honor out-of-state cards, so the certification process has to originate inside the state. Verify the patient minimum age with the state program before applying. Confirm the current process with the state regulator before applying, because the rules change.

What does the evidence say about cannabis for Muscular Dystrophy?

For Muscular Dystrophy, evidence is described as limited (a small number of supportive studies, often underpowered or focused on narrow symptom domains). The mmjnow condition page for Muscular Dystrophy lays out the current evidence base, including the citations underlying that evidence tier — typically the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus reports, federal agency guidance, and peer-reviewed reviews. Evidence quality is independent of state law: a state can list a condition for which evidence is limited, and a state can decline to list a condition for which evidence is strong. Patients deciding whether to pursue medical cannabis for Muscular Dystrophy should review the underlying evidence (linked on the condition page) and discuss expected benefit, dosing, and risk with a clinician familiar with both Muscular Dystrophy and cannabinoid pharmacology. Cannabis is not a substitute for evidence-based first-line treatments for Muscular Dystrophy; the evidence position above describes whether trial data supports its use, not whether it should replace standard care.

Sources

  1. La. R.S. 40:1046: Therapeutic Use of Marijuana Act (HB 149 of 2015)accessed May 16, 2026
  2. Louisiana Board of Pharmacy: Therapeutic Marijuanaaccessed May 16, 2026
  3. La. R.S. 40:966 — Penalty schedule for marijuana possessionaccessed May 17, 2026
  4. La. R.S. 40:1046 — Therapeutic Use of Marijuana Actaccessed May 17, 2026
  5. Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry: Industrial Hemp Programaccessed May 17, 2026
  6. Louisiana State Legislature bill trackeraccessed May 17, 2026
  7. Wikipedia: Cannabis in Louisianaaccessed May 16, 2026
  8. NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Muscular Dystrophyaccessed May 18, 2026
  9. NASEM: The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids (2017)accessed May 18, 2026

    “Substantial evidence that oral cannabinoids are effective antiemetics in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea.”

  10. Muscular Dystrophy Association: About Neuromuscular Diseasesaccessed May 18, 2026
  11. MedlinePlus: Muscular dystrophyaccessed May 18, 2026
  12. FDA: Epidiolex (cannabidiol) prescribing informationaccessed May 18, 2026