AUSTIN — A hefty expansion to the state’s narrow medical marijuana program won overwhelming approval in the Texas House on Monday, giving veterans broad access to THC treatments and raising the number of dispensaries allowed in the state.
The bill also would nearly double the number of medical conditions non-veterans would now be eligible for treatment under the Texas Compassionate Use Program. That state initiative allows doctors to prescribe low-dose tetrahydrocannabinol – known as THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana plans — in cannabis oil or edibles.
Military veterans would be given special access, and their doctors would be allowed under the law to prescribe low-dose THC for conditions that are not on the state’s list. The Texas Department of State Health Services also is given latitude in the bill to identify other conditions that may be added.
House Bill 46, by Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, was approved on a 118-16 vote, prompting a cheer to rise from the House floor. It is expected to get final approval on Tuesday.
The Texas Senate has passed its own version of a more broad program, allowing 11 dispensaries and letting them store off-site. It does not add anything new to the list of qualifying conditions.
The legislation now heads into negotiations between the House and Senate over differences in the two versions. If they can come to a compromise, the deal will be sent to the governor’s desk.
“This is an amazing alternative to addictive, harmful opioids, which we know is a huge problem. This bill empowers individuals and families to avoid those dangerous drugs,” said Rep. Christina Morales, D-Houston. “I am glad today that we’re voting for our veterans, rural communities and working families and taking a serious step against dangerous opioids.”
About 12,000 people are involved in Texas’s Compassionate Use Program, which is run by the Department of Public Safety. The medical conditions covered by the program include post-traumatic stress disorder, epilepsy, cancer and multiple sclerosis. There are only three dispensaries in the state, and they are not allowed to store their inventory in off-site facilities.
The bill adds several new conditions, including chronic pain that otherwise requires the use of opioids to manage, Crohn’s disease, glaucoma, traumatic brain injury, spinal neuropathy and degenerative disc disease.
The legislation seeks to broaden access by raising the number of allowed dispensaries to 11, and letting them store inventory in various regions of the state – cutting down on delivery expenses and time it takes for patients to get their prescriptions.
The bill also would let doctors prescribe additional delivery methods including inhalation through vaporizers and insertion through suppositories. It does not propose changing the law to allow smokable flower.
State Rep. David Lowe, R-North Richland Hills, and an Army veteran, said he voted against the bill because he doesn’t believe marijuana is an effective treatment for PTSD or other problems veterans have.
“I actually went to the VA and they said to me, ‘David, any type of marijuana use for PTSD only masks the symptoms. Don’t ever do that,’ ” said Lowe, who said he sought treatment for PTSD and related problems. “I didn’t, and I went through a lot of counseling in different programs.”
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