Texas Medical Marijuana Bill Adds PTSD and All Cancers to Compassionate Care Use Act
- A bill to upgrade the Texas Compassion Care medical marijuana program was signed by the governor.
- The bill adds PTSD and all forms of cancer to the brief list of qualifying medical conditions for a Texas medical marijuana card.
- The bill ups the limit of THC from .5 percent to 1 percent.
Texas’ medical marijuana program has been upgraded and it’s good news to PTSD and cancer patients. Texans now have access to medical marijuana to treat PTSD. Also, patients suffering from all forms of cancer will be able to shop at Texas dispensaries. Medical marijuana doctors in Texas are upbeat about the improvements to the program.
Another bit of welcome news is the increase in THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) limits. Concentrations of the euphoria-inducing cannabinoid THC has been doubled from one-half of one percent to a full percent. Even being a ways from fully loaded, THC plays a major role in medical marijuana’s ability to improve mood and to relieve inflammation and pain.
Texas medical marijuana products must also contain at least 10 percent CBD (cannabidiol). Unlike THC, CBD is non-intoxicating and especially effective at reducing anxiety as well as inflammation and pain.
There is also speculation and some lab evidence that suggests that cannabinoids have the ability to reduce oxidative stress that can damage cells and lead to cancer. In vitro studies have also shown that cannabinoids might help to not only help prevent cancer but also to reduce or slow the progression of cancer in some patients. More research needs to be done to confirm these results.
Texas medical marijuana program
HB 1535 is an expansion of the Texas Compassionate Use Program which allows patients with medical conditions such as epilepsy and autism to shop at Texas medical marijuana dispensaries.
The Texas Compassionate Use Act initially went into effect in 2015. The fledgling medical marijuana law gave individuals suffering from intractable epilepsy access to low-THC cannabis oil. The program was expanded in 2019 to include other debilitating conditions including terminal cancer, seizure disorders, MS, ALS, Alzheimer’s, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and Parkinson’s disease.
Products available to Texas medical marijuana dispensaries include cannabis oil, lozenges, topical creams and ointment, tinctures, and inhalers.
How to get a Texas medical marijuana Prescription
Patients suffering from Cancer or any of the other qualifying conditions and want to get certified for medi9cla cannabis high CBD will need to be examined by a state-certified medical marijuana doctor, which can be done online using medcard telemedicine. Once certified, patients need to log on to the Texas Compassionate Use Registry database to complete their registration.
At the time of writing, there are presently 379 medical marijuana doctors in Texas.
CBD laws in Texas
CBD produced from hemp plants (as opposed to marijuana) was made legal in Texas in June 2019. House Bill 1325 authorized the production, manufacture, and retail sale of hemp and hemp-derived products including CBD oil. Texas passed another CBD law in the summer of 2020 further solidifying the legality of hemp-derived CBD products are legal in the state.
All Texans can buy CBD online without a medical marijuana card and without having one of the qualifying conditions for medical marijuana. Medical marijuana patients can also purchase cannabis based CBD products at Texas marijuana medical dispensaries, or via delivery.
There is no limit to the amount of hemp CBD an individual can possess. However, it is still illegal to smoke hemp flower in public.