Medical marijuana is now legally available to Louisiana patients, with Baton Rouge’s Capitol Wellness Solutions recording the state’s first-ever regulated medical – cannabis sales transactions at the dispensary’s 7941 Picardy Ave. location.
Randy J. Mire, Pharm.D
CEO and Founder
“I own several pharmacies around the state and we ship to several states. Being on the cutting edge of a medication like this and being able to offer it to local patients is something I am really excited about.”
Randy J. Mire, Pharm.D
Randy J. Mire is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Capitol Wellness Solutions. Randy has a singular focus, to give the people of Louisiana the highest pharmaceutical care possible.
TJ Woodard, Pharm.D
TJ Woodard is the Pharmacist-in-Charge of Capitol Wellness Solutions (CWS). As the pharmacy manager, TJ oversees the day to day activities of the pharmacy and the CWS team.
Amy Nguyen, Pharm.D
Amy Nguyen is the Owner Managing Officer for Capitol Wellness Solutions. She is primarily responsible for ensuring compliance with the laws and rules pertaining to the operation of a pharmacy.
Here in Louisiana, we’re seeing a very different approach that has a good viability to become the gold-standard of what medical marijuana programs should look like.
– Mark Slaugh, Cannabis Consultant
What Conditions Are Treatable
With Medical Marijuana in Louisiana?
Patients with certain debilitating conditions may request a recommendation from a licensed doctor.
Debilitating Conditions
In 2008, legislation was passed allowing physicians to recommend (prescribe) medical marijuana to certain conditions. In 2015, additional conditions were added during the legislative sessions. The approved list of debilitating conditions that are eligible for treatment with medical marijuana are listed below.
Click Here for Conditions
- *Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Cancer
- Chronic Intractable Pain
- Crohn’s Disease
- Epilepsy / Seizure Disorders
- Glaucoma
- HIV / AIDS
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Spasticity / Severe Muscle Spasms
- Wasting Syndrome / Cachexia
*There are four conditions or behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder to be considered an eligible condition:
- repetitive or self-stimulatory behavior of such severity that the physical health of the person with autism is jeopardized;
- avoidance of others or inability to communicate of such severity that the physical health of the person with autism is jeopardized;
- self-injuring behavior; and
- physically aggressive or destructive behavior.
- Have a qualifying condition defined by state law. (see above on Debilitating Conditions)
- Get an evaluation and recommendation from a physician licensed to recommend medical marijuana.(see below on Finding a Recommending Physician)
- Patients will need to have their recommendation FAXED by a prescriber directly to Capitol Wellness Solutions.
- Handwritten hard copies, telephone orders, or e-scripts will NOT be accepted
Finding a Recommending Physician
Physicians must obtain a special license from the Louisiana Board of Medical Examiners to recommend medical marijuana. The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (LSBME) has the most current list of such providers. Under practitioner type, select Therapeutic Marijuana Registration and click search. You can filter your results further by providing a city, zip code, or parish prior to clicking to search.
Current Capitol Region TM Doctors open for business:
Victor H. Chou
12011 Bricksome Ave. Ste D
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
(225) 800-3162
Kevin J. Callerame
5247 Didesse Dr.
Baton Rouge, LA. 70809
(225) 215-2193
Joshua R. Clark
11715 Bricksome Ave Ste. A6
Baton Rouge, LA. 70816
(318) 227-4088 for appts
Leone F. Elliott
2928 Bocage Lake Court
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
(225) 384-5378
Chad W. Rossitter
5475 Essen Lane
Baton Rouge, LA. 70809
(225) 407-0420
Gregory Ward
10627 Hillary Ct.
Baton Rouge, LA. 70810
(225) 766-1616
The acceptable forms of medical marijuana in Louisiana, approved by the legislature, are oils, extracts, tinctures, sprays, capsules, pills, solutions, suspension, gelatin-based chewables, lotions, transdermal patches, suppositories, and metered-dosed inhalation.
*The only currently available form of medical marijuana is tinctures. As the medical marijuana program grows in Louisiana, we expect more dosage forms to become approved and/or available.
What are Medical Cannabis Tinctures?
Medical cannabis tinctures are packaged in a 30 mL glass bottle with a dropper. Tincture dosages are easy to self-titrate and measure. Tinctures are easily absorbed by the liver, so the effects are felt more quickly than in pill or gelatin based chewable form. Because of this, tinctures represent an effective method of consumption for precise dosing.
Tinctures are administered either: (click here)
Orally
- You place the instructed dosage into your mouth and swallow. You should start to feel the effects coming on between 30 to 90 minutes, with a peak maximum effect reached after two to three hours, and last for about 4 to 12 hours, depending on the dose.
Sublingually
- You place the instructed dosage under your tongue and hold for 30 seconds and then swallow. This helps get the medicine into your bloodstream quicker and is a preferred method that will allow you to feel the effects coming on faster and stronger.
Oils
Oil is a concentrated extract derived from the marijuana plant. Oils can be consumed in many ways, but the most common are placing under your tongue via a dropper or through a vaping device. Depending on how the oil was consumed, it typically will take up to 20 minutes to start feeling the effects.
Extracts
Extracts are a type of concentrate created using solvents (alcohol, carbon dioxide, etc.) that essentially wash the trichomes off the cannabis plant, collecting them for further refinement. All having similar effects, cannabis extracts can come in many different forms, like oils, lotions, sprays, and more.
Sprays
Cannabis sprays are another form of tincture. Sprays come in small bottles, that allows you to consume the oil. Usually used by spraying inside mouth onto cheeks and under the tongue, the effects can take approximately 30 minutes.
Capsules
Capsuled cannabis comes in a small pill-like form, allowing the patient to ingest orally. Researchers say that a capsule pain-relieving effect may last longer throughout the day.
Solutions
Medical marijuana solutions are mixtures that dissolve thoroughly, allowing each ingredient to be equally distributed. Some cannabis solutions can include lotions.
Suspensions
In a medical marijuana suspension, there are usually two main ingredients that are unable to dissolve with one another. Therefore, there are small particles that remain intact. Most cannabis suspensions include oils.
Gelatin-Based Chewables
Gelatin-based chewables are another option for patients who choose not or does not want to consume capsule forms of medical marijuana. When consuming chewables, the cannabis enters the bloodstream and is further digested. This then is broken down by the stomach and absorbed by the intestines. These chewables take typically 30 minutes- 1 hour to reach the maximum effect.
Lotions
Medical marijuana comes in topical forms, such as creams and lotions. This allows the patient to rub on the lotion at any point where they may be experiencing discomfort or pain. Lotions are known to help over-worked muscles, patients with eczema and psoriasis, or any kind of aches and pains.
Since the rate of absorption of the skin is slow, this allows the therapeutic relief to last longer, while avoiding the altered mental states from developing.
Transdermal Patches
Transdermal patches are an easy and effective way to receive pain relief throughout the day. These medical marijuana patches allow an immediate infusion into the bloodstream allowing all day relief. Transdermal cannabis patches range in dosages and are very user friendly: it’s as simple as unwrapping and sticking it to the desired area.
Suppositories
Over the past few years the use of these medical marijuana suppositories has risen. After entering the rectal mucosa, the healing components of the plant-based medicine quickly spread to the organs and into the bloodstream. Unlike pills or any oral consumption of medical cannabis, suppositories do not allow the patient to experience a “head high”. These are also easy to use at home and offers just as many benefits as any other product.
Metered Dose Inhalation
Charged with natural extracts of cannabis, the aerosol sprayed from a metered dose inhaler is coarser than smoke yielding more cannabinoids per dose. Very little of the product (~5%) dissipates or is exhaled, allowing you to medicate without exposing others to significant second hand aerosol.
Press Releases
February 18, 2020
Pharmacy Background Pays Off for Louisiana Dispensary
“When Randy Mire first learned about efforts to pass medical cannabis legislation in Louisiana six years ago, he immediately recognized the opportunity to help patients while expanding his business. Mire owns six pharmacies throughout Louisiana that ship specialty medications (not cannabis) to 35 states nationwide.”
January 30, 2020
Southern Univ. becomes first HBCU to launch hemp product line to hit shelves by March
“For patients who really have diagnosable conditions, this is accessible for them. They can come to one of the non-dispensaries to get this,” said Randy Mire, owner of Capitol Wellness Solutions.
August 6, 2019
Louisiana patients receive first doses of medical marijuana
This is the day that patients have been waiting for; some of them have taken their first dose of state-approved medical marijuana.
August 2, 2019
First Louisiana veteran to receive approved marijuana treatment on Tuesday
For the first time since the legislature approved the idea in 2015, Louisianans will have access to marijuana medicine on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
Call Capitol
Visit Capitol
7941 Picardy Ave
Baton Rouge LA 70809