Should Louisiana break up medical marijuana monopolies to lower prices?

When Louisiana's first legal smokable medical marijuana was made available on Jan. 1, patients like Corbet King of Wisner were excited about the product that they believed would be a more affordable option than tinctures, oils and edibles.

After all, affordability was one of the key selling points when the Legislature passed a bill last year to add the plant's unprocessed flower to the products that Louisiana's two legal growers and nine regional pharmacies could offer to patients.

But when King and other patients arrived at their pharmacies they were surprised to find the flower product in some cases was just as costly or even more expensive, depending on the pharmacy.