In 2015, Texas joined a handful of other states in adopting
\nan approach to medical cannabis that legalizes it\u2026 but just barely. Still
\nintact today, the Texas Compassionate Use Act only allows for the legal use of
\ncannabis oil with trace amounts of THC. To qualify, patients must have severe
\nepilepsy and receive approval from two specialists who believe that cannabis is
\na worthwhile treatment, not just on its own merits, but compared to other
\noptions. Patients may not grow their own, and smokable forms of cannabis are
\nillegal for any use. It\u2019s not uncommon to see Texas described as having no
\nmedical program, because its program is so narrow that it\u2019s nearly invisible.<\/p>\n
But with a new year and a new legislative session, there is hope that Texas might expand its program into something that provides substantially broader access. As the largest Southern, conservative state, Texas opening the door to more cannabis use could have a catalyzing effect on states with similar low-THC or CBD-only laws<\/a>, which also exist in Mississippi, Alabama, Indiana and a host of other, mostly Southern, states.<\/p>\n Leading the charge for medical marijuana in Texas is State Senator Jose Menendez. He has introduced legislation that would grow the state\u2019s list of eligible conditions to include cancer, HIV\/ AIDS, autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, severe chronic pain<\/a>, nausea and many other conditions. Chronic pain is a key addition \u2014 the global market for treating chronic pain was nearly $70 billion in 2017, and treating pain is the primary function of opioid medications. Importantly, a handful of studies have found that opioid use shrinks in states with legal medical cannabis.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen nothing but mounting momentum for reform,\u201d says Heather Fazio, director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy<\/a>, a leading advocacy group in the push to expand Texas\u2019s medical program.<\/p>\n One major source of Fazio\u2019s optimism is that Republicans are As for the Texas Democratic Party, which controls roughly 40 Beyond party support, individual legislators are In addition to the movement toward opening up who can legally take medical cannabis, there also seems to be a broad base for criminal justice reform. In addition to support from both party establishments, Gov. Greg Abbott has signaled he\u2019s behind the idea of reducing penalties for cannabis possession. \u201cOne thing I don\u2019t want to see is jails stockpiled with people who have possession of a small amount of marijuana,\u201d Abbott said in 2018<\/a>.<\/p>\n Abbott has generally been skeptical of cannabis reform, and \u201cHe has made clear that advocates are making compelling Meanwhile, the people of Texas are well ahead of their legislators on this issue. 84 percent of the state supports medical cannabis and 53 percent approve of some form of recreational weed, according to a June 2018 poll<\/a> by the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune. Austin\u2019s annual South by Southwest festival also had a cannabis track this year.<\/p>\n While Texas politicians have been quite cautious around TELL US<\/strong>, what\u2019s Originally published in Issue 36 of Cannabis Now. LEARN MORE<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n The post Let\u2019s Mess With Texas: The Lone Star State on Pot<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
In 2015, Texas joined a handful of other states in adopting an approach to medical cannabis that legalizes it\u2026 but just barely. Still intact today, the Texas Compassionate Use Act only allows for the legal use of cannabis oil with trace amounts of THC. To qualify, patients must have severeContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50,1132,85,9548,90,65,139,9553,9367,97],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34102"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34102"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34103,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34102\/revisions\/34103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\ncoming around to the idea of opening up the state\u2019s medical program. The Texas
\nGOP\u2019s platform now calls on the state legislature \u201cto allow doctors to
\ndetermine the appropriate use of cannabis to certified patients.\u201d The platform
\nalso recommends that the penalty for possession of small amounts of cannabis be
\nreduced to a $100 fine with no jail time, and even calls on the federal
\ngovernment to move cannabis from Schedule I (for drugs with a high capacity for
\nabuse and no medical benefit) to Schedule II (potentially abusive drugs that
\nmay have medical benefits).<\/p>\n
\npercent of the state\u2019s House and Senate, they are on board for full
\nlegalization. The party platform calls for a host of reforms, including
\nlegalization for recreational and medical use, economic empowerment for
\ncommunities most affected by the War on Drugs, employment protections for
\ncannabis users, and the immediate release and expungement of criminal records
\nfor anyone convicted of cannabis possession.<\/p>\n
\nincreasingly coming out for reform and have progress to build on from the
\nprevious session. For example, a 2017 bill that would have expanded the list of
\neligible conditions for a medical cannabis recommendation attracted 78
\ncosponsors, including 28 Republicans. The bill ran out of time in the 2017
\nsession and was never scheduled for a floor vote. The Texas legislature, which
\nonly meets in odd-numbered years, may continue this push in the current session
\nwith Menendez\u2019s bill or another piece of cannabis-focused legislation.<\/p>\n
\nhe holds veto power over any legislation that reaches his desk, so any public
\nsoftening on his part has obvious significance. Fazio expressed optimism that
\nhe ultimately would not block progressive cannabis legislation.<\/p>\n
\narguments to him,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t think the governor will stand in the way
\nif we have meaningful legislation pass [both state houses].\u201d<\/p>\n
\ncannabis, the people they represent are ready to see more legal uses for the
\nplant. With momentum toward reform as strong as it has ever been, this may be
\nthe year the people get their wish.<\/p>\n
\nyour state\u2019s marijuana policy? <\/p>\n
\n
\nRead More: Let\u2019s Mess With Texas: The Lone Star State on Pot<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"