TEXAS MEDICAL MARIJUANA

The Texas Compassionate Use Act went into effect in 2015, allowing individuals suffering from intractable epilepsy access to low-THC cannabis oil. 

A few years later in 2019, the Act was expanded to include other debilitating conditions. Some of these conditions include terminal cancer, autism, seizure disorders, MS, ALS, Alzheimer’s, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and Parkinson’s disease.

At present, under current Texas cannabis laws, the only products available to these patients are cannabis-oil, lozenges, lotions, tinctures, and inhalers, recently increased to 1.0 percent THC or less and a minimum of 10 percent CBD. 

Five years after the program was implemented patients still experience barriers and red tape when applying for a Compassionate Use license. Industry experts and medical marijuana advocates claim that the current program is largely inaccessible to the ailing demographic it was initially designed to serve.

Until recently fewer than 20 doctors across the state were officially registered with the Texas Department of Public Safety to legally prescribe medical marijuana. Moreover, at the start of 2021 there were only 3,500 Texans registered in the medical marijuana program when, in fact, more than two million people are legally eligible.

The fledgling medical marijuana program in Texas still has many hurdles to jump. Texas is among the most prohibitive of all states – near the bottom of the list as far as accessibility goes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Patients should keep in mind that the difference between Texas medical marijuana and hemp is a mere 0.2 percent THC at most. Hemp-derived CBD products can be purchase without a medical marijuana prescription.