Louisiana State University and Southern University both got approval to begin growing marijuana plants for medical use, the Washington Times reports.
The boards of the two universities approved plans to push through with licensing, making them the only growers and researchers in the state of Louisiana, according to local media outlets.
In the spring, the Louisiana Legislature loosened its medical marijuana laws, allowing the treatment for a wider range of people diagnosed with deadly diseases.
The University of Mississippi currently cultivates cannabis for federal research, but the Louisiana schools intend to produce marijuana oil for patient use. If the universities had not gone forward with their plans, private growers could have been given the option instead.
LSU is in the works to secure private funding for what is predicted to be a $10 million production center, and has done its homework on marijuana growing in Colorado – one of the few states to have legalized weed for both medical and recreational use.
Bill Richardson, LSU’s vice-president for agriculture, said the university has met with investors from New Orleans and other states who have expressed an interest in the project. The LSU marijuana facility is set to be built on private land away from the main campus.
Richardson said that marijuana oil, which will be sold at designated pharmacies, is not likely to be available in Louisiana until 2018, at least. The approval passed this year does not have a deadline for production, but legislators said they would like to see patients identified as eligible for marijuana treatments receive access as soon as possible.
