BATON ROUGE – Today, the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC) began issuing permits to allow businesses within the state to begin legally selling hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products. A total of 20 temporary permits were issued. The move comes less than three weeks after Act 164 of the 2019 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature legalized the sale of such products in the state.

“ATC employees have worked diligently to process the influx of CBD applications in just a short amount of time,” ATC Commissioner Juana Marine-Lombard said. “The agency is ready to provide the necessary support for this new industry in Louisiana.”

The temporary permits expire on February 29, 2020. Permanent permits will be issued only after ATC receives certification from the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) that the applicant’s products comply with state law.

Governor John Bel Edwards signed Act 164 into law on June 6, 2019. It authorizes the sale of hemp-derived CBD products with a THC concentration of less than 0.3 percent. The law prohibits the processing or sale of hemp for inhalation and the sale of any alcoholic beverage containing CBD. Food products and beverages containing CBD are also banned unless the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves CBD as a food additive.

The permit application for hemp-derived CBD products is available on the ATC website, www.ATC.la.gov.