Baton Rouge, LA--The Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC) issued anadvisory noticespecifying that state law prohibits any product to contain any level or trace amount of THC. The notice pointed to the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy Guidance Document regarding CBD oil, which, in the FAQ section, sums up the state's stance: "Is CBD (cannabidiol) oil legal under Louisiana law? No."

In the advisory notice, Juana Marine-Lombard, commissioner of the Louisiana ATC, wrote, "While the agency awaits the decision of the Louisiana Drug Policy Board and the opinion of the Louisiana Attorney General, ATC agents will be issuing citations to any retail permit holders who offer CBD products which appear on the agency’s banned list and ordering the removal of all CBD products from the licensed premises. Additionally, the agency will continue to process pending CBD store applications, but will not issue any permits to CBD stores until said opinions are received."

KSLA News 12quoted Marine-Lombard as saying, “Hemp, marijuana and CBD are like Baskin-Robbins. They’re different flavors, but at the end of the day they are all ice cream."

Outgoing FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb recently shared his thoughts on the the most efficient pathway to legalize CBD while speaking at a talk hosted by the Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy and the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy at Brookings Institution. Read his comments here.

More coverage of state vs. federal regulations on CBD can be foundhere.