A supermajority – 70% – of likely general election voters in Louisiana prefer regulation of hemp beverages as opposed to an outright ban, according to a survey conducted by polling and research firm Cygnal on behalf of the Louisiana Hemp Beverage Coalition. The survey found 47% of respondents preferred state-level regulation while 23% backed federal regulations. 

Just 14% of respondents supported an outright ban, and 16% said they were unsure.

Another 60% of respondents said that the federal government should not ban products that the state already regulates, with about 20% saying they disagree. About 52% of those polled supported their member of Congress voting to repeal the upcoming federal ban on intoxicating hemp products, which is set to take effect in December. About 25% supported the ban. 

The pollster found three messages tested strongest for supporting hemp beverages. The top-ranked overall message focused on the economic impact of the hemp beverage market, noting that the industry employs “thousands of workers and generate millions in tax revenue” and that “a federal ban would shutter these businesses, eliminate Louisiana jobs, and wipe out tax revenue. All without a proven public safety benefit.” 

Among Republicans, the strongest message focused on low-dose safety: “Hemp beverages sold in Louisiana contain no more than 5 milligrams of THC per serving, roughly the equivalent of one or two beers. They do not produce the intense effects associated with marijuana and are commonly consumed in place of alcohol.” 

For independents, the top ranked message explained that “hemp beverages are not marijuana” and are “made from federally legal hemp plants and contain a fraction of the THC found in marijuana. Banning them because of a misconception about what they are is just bad policy.” 

After hearing the messaging regarding hemp beverages, opposition to the ban among voters swung from 40% to 50% and fell from 31% to 22% in support of the ban. Among Republicans, opposition to the ban went from 26% to 40% and support for the ban went from 45% to 29%. 

Only 1% of those polled said hemp regulation was their top voting issue. 

The poll included 504 likely voters and was conducted July 14 to 16.       

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The Louisiana Senate has passed a bill to let patients with terminal and irreversible conditions use medical marijuana in hospitals.

The body approved the legislation, SB 270 from Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews (D), in a vote of 33-2 on Wednesday. It now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.

“This bill does exactly what the title says,” Jackson-Andrews said on the floor ahead of the vote. “When a patient is in pain and they believe that therapeutic marijuana will work and have a prescription for it, it allows them to have that prescription delivered to the hospital and administered by one of their family members or themselves.”

Under the proposal, hospitals would have to create written guidelines allowing covered patients to consume medical cannabis on-site in forms other than smoking or vaping.

Under an amendment adopted by a Senate committee earlier this month, emergency or outpatient departments would be exempted from the policy. The revised legislation also clarifies that patients and primary caregivers are responsible for acquiring and administering medical marijuana, which must be “stored securely at all times in a locked container provided by the patient.”

Health care professionals and staff would be prohibited from “administering, storing, retrieving, or assisting the patient with the medical marijuana,” the text says.

The amendment, which the sponsor worked on with help from the Louisiana Hospital Association, also allows hospitals to opt out of the policy if federal officials take action against any healthcare facility in the state over medical cannabis use, rather than only allowing those that were specifically targeted to stop complying.

“This bill was brought at the request of constituents who believe that therapeutic medical marijuana, which is already legal in this state, should be offered in hospitals when patients are terminally ill or otherwise in need the comfort of this medicine,” Jackson-Andrews told the Senate Health and Welfare Committee when the panel took up the legislation.

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Meanwhile in Louisiana, the Senate Health and Welfare Committee recently approved a bill to create a psychedelic-assisted therapy pilot program, using opioid settlement dollars to fund clinical trials aimed at developing alternative treatments such as psilocybin and ibogaine.

Lawmakers are also considering legislation to create an adult-use marijuana legalization pilot program in the state to determine whether the reform should eventually be expanded and permanently codified.

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