Louisiana's first legal medical marijuana crop to be picked

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The first legal crop of medical marijuana in Louisiana is set to be harvested this week.
 
NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reports the licensed grower working with the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center, GB Sciences, expects to start the drying process by next week.
 
The company says it could have product packaged and ready to ship by the middle of next month. However, regulations have made it unclear when medical marijuana will be commercially available in the state.
 
The agency that regulates the medical marijuana program, the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry, has not identified an independent, third-party lab to test the product before it ships to dispensaries.
 
This testing is a requirement of the program, and the agency expects proposals from labs this month.