The proposal heads next to the full House for debate. Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat who supported the creation of the medical marijuana program, signaled his likely backing for the measure.

“If a bill gets to my desk that expands the availability of medical marijuana and potentially expands the forms of marijuana that you can use for medicinal purposes, my inclination is to support it,” the governor said Thursday.

The raw, smokable marijuana plant is cheaper to manufacture and sell because it involves less processing. Magee said offering that option would help patients with chronic conditions who have trouble affording the products currently available in Louisiana’s medical marijuana pharmacies.