Health care
BY HANNAH NORTON
Texas moves to expand medical cannabis program, ban THC sales
More details
On June 2, the Texas Hemp Business Council, which advocates for hemp retailers, delivered 5,000 letters to Abbott’s o ce asking him to veto SB 3, the proposed THC ban. “Texans recognize SB 3 for what it is: an attack on the rights and liberties of Texans that will destroy tens of thousands of jobs,” THBC executive director Mark Bordas said in a June 11 statement. Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D San Antonio, said May 27 that he was in favor of both “a regulated medical and a regulated recreational” cannabis program in Texas, noting that there are not cur- rently enough guardrails to prevent minors from accessing consumable THC products. “A 16-year-old kid can go into the 7-Eleven and pick up a vape pen with no regulation,” he said.
“[The program] is not set up to succeed right now, and it’s not set up to provide reasonable access to patients,” Richardson told Community Impact on April 25. In late May, lawmakers approved Senate Bill 3 , which seeks to ban the possession, sale and manufacture of all other hemp- derived THC products in Texas. Abbott has received pressure from hemp retailers and some veterans’ groups to veto SB 3. He told reporters June 11 that he was still considering the proposal and would “weigh arguments from both sides.” Abbott has until June 22 to sign or veto hundreds of bills.
Texas lawmakers sent a plan to expand eligibility for low-THC medical cannabis prescriptions to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk on June 2, putting the state on track to build out an existing program that some Texans have said does not currently help enough people. House Bill 46 would add conditions such as chronic pain and Crohn’s disease to Texas’ Compassionate Use Program and allow doctors to prescribe more forms of medication, including inhalers and vaping devices. The bill would also allow 15 medical cannabis dispensaries to operate in Texas, up from three under current law, and give licensed dispensaries the option to create satellite locations to store medication. Medical cannabis providers must currently house all of their operations and store products in a single location. This means providers and patients often drive hours to transport and pick up medication, said Nico Richardson, CEO of the dispensary Texas Original. The current situation Texas’ three medical cannabis dispensaries operate dozens of pickup locations throughout the state. House Bill 46 would allow 12 more providers to open locations. Medical cannabis pickup locations in Texas
Another perspective
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said Texas needs to increase access to low-THC medical cannabis prescriptions and outlaw all other THC products. He told reporters May 28 that SB 3 would “save an entire generation from being hooked on drugs.”
Summer A/C Check $79 Let’s place an American Flag and with “Freedom!” with a di erent font headline over it, then under Happy B-Day America! “[THC retailers] don’t care about the health of children—they care about making a pro t,” Patrick said. “That’s all they care about. But we want to respond to them, so we have expanded [the Compassionate Use Program].”
SOURCES: TEXAS ORIGINAL, GOODBLEND AND FLUENT COMMUNITY IMPACT
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