John Bel Edwards Wants to Allow Purchase of Medical Marijuana With Food Stamps

If Gov. John Bel Edwards gets his way, Louisianians will be able to use public assistance funds to purchase medically prescribed marijuana.

Edwards said he will push to allow residents with medical cannabis prescriptions to pay for their marijuana with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

Under current state law, individuals caught trying to buy marijuana with SNAP funds face jail time for food-stamp fraud, as well as run the risk of being the subject of countless Fox News segments on “Obama’s America.”

While Edwards has vowed to expand Medicaid coverage in Louisiana — something his predecessor, Bobby Jindal, staunchly resisted — physician-prescribed cannabis isn’t covered by Medicaid, which is why the Democratic governor wants to make it payable with SNAP funds.

Edwards asserted medical marijuana is prescribed by doctors to help people who have a legitimate medical need to get crazy high, and that the state should help citizens with limited means pay for it.

“Most people may not think of marijuana as food,” Edwards told High Times, “but many friends within my party tell me you can eat it, whether in brownies or many other edibles. And since the Legislature legalized medical marijuana last year, I don’t see why SNAP benefits can’t be used to pay for it.”

Edwards continued, “Of course, people would need to make sure they budget their funds wisely. You want to make sure you save enough SNAP funds to take care of those munchies,” he said, referring to cannabis’ well-known side effect.

Unlike alcohol and tobacco, which are not covered by SNAP, Edwards asserted medical marijuana is prescribed by doctors to help people who have a legitimate medical need to get crazy high, and that the state should help citizens with limited means pay for it.

“After eight years of Bobby Jindal as governor,” Edwards added, “poor, sick people in Louisiana deserve to get free weed.”