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.
Read more at The Dallas Morning News