{"id":81236,"date":"2025-05-13T10:36:12","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T18:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2025\/05\/13\/texas-lawmakers-pass-bills-to-expand-medical-marijuana-program-and-support-psychedelic-research\/"},"modified":"2025-05-14T19:47:05","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T03:47:05","slug":"texas-lawmakers-pass-bills-to-expand-medical-marijuana-program-and-support-psychedelic-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2025\/05\/13\/texas-lawmakers-pass-bills-to-expand-medical-marijuana-program-and-support-psychedelic-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Lawmakers Pass Bills To Expand Medical Marijuana Program And Support Psychedelic Research"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

The Texas House of Representatives has passed bills to significantly expand the state\u2019s limited medical cannabis program<\/a> and to support research on the therapeutic potential of ibogaine<\/a> with the aim of encouraging federal approval of the psychedelic.<\/p>\n

The marijuana measure cleared the House on third reading with a vote of 122\u201321 and the ibogaine legislation was approved 138-2. The body\u2019s action sends both proposals to the Senate and comes one day after the bills were given initial approval on second reading.<\/p>\n

Rep. Ken King (R), sponsor of the medical cannabis legislation, HB 46, said on the floor that the bill would build on the Texas Compassionate Use Program, known as TCUP, to ease access to more patients across the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cHouse Bill 46 expands the TCUP program by adding more licenses, up to 15. It shortens the timeframe for the licenses to be approved. It adds qualifying conditions like palliative care and hospice for terminal patients,\u201d he said. \u201cTCUP is certainly a veteran priority, and they\u2019re taken care of in this bill.\u201d<\/p>\n

The proposal would expand the types of products patients could buy and also add multiple other qualifying conditions for people to become registered patients.<\/p>\n

Specifically, it would allow patients to access cannabis patches, lotions, suppositories, approved inhalers, nebulizers and and vaping devices. The currently limited list of qualifying conditions would be extended to include chronic pain, glaucoma, traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal neuropathy, Crohn\u2019s disease or other inflammatory bowel disease, degenerative disc disease and any terminal illness for patients receiving hospice or palliative care.<\/p>\n

Military veterans would be able to become registered cannabis patients for any medical condition, and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) would also be authorized for further expand the list.<\/p>\n

The bill would additionally mandate that the Department of Public Safety (DPS) issue 11 dispensary licenses within the 11 designated public health regions across the state. It would further allow dispensaries to open satellite locations if approved.<\/p>\n

An amendment adopted on the floor Monday would grandfather existing medical cannabis dispensary satellite locations, ensure a competitive business licensing application process, create a timeline for when new licenses must be issued, amend background check rules, allow physicians to determine dosage and remove a 1.2 gram limit for possession by patients and instead let doctors recommend an amount they see fit.<\/p>\n

A second amendment approved by members would require doctors who issue medical cannabis recommendations to report them to the state\u2019s prescription drug monitoring program.<\/p>\n

If ultimately enacted, the bill<\/a> would significantly build upon Texas\u2019s current, limited medical marijuana program, which allows patients with one of eight qualifying condition access certain non-smokable cannabis products containing no more than 0.5 percent by dry weight.<\/p>\n

\u2014
\nMarijuana Moment is\u00a0tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a>\u00a0in state legislatures and Congress this year.\u00a0Patreon supporters<\/a>\u00a0pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
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\nLearn more about our\u00a0marijuana bill tracker<\/a>\u00a0and become a\u00a0supporter on Patreon<\/a>\u00a0to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

The separate ibogaine bill, meanwhile, would create a grant program through the state Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to provide funding for clinical trials exploring ibogaine as a potential treatment option for people suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD) and other serious mental health conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the veterans who are out there struggling, for the mothers\u2014millions of mothers across the state of Texas who have kids who are addicted to opioids\u2014Texas is coming, Rep. Cody Harris (R), sponsor of a House companion version of the measure, said<\/a> on the floor.<\/p>\n

The purpose of\u00a0SB 2308 is to help secure approval of the psychedelic by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).<\/p>\n

While the measure has previously passed the Senate, the House\u00a0slightly amended it to clarify that the definition of ibogaine that would be studied also includes ibogaine-based therapeutics and analogues. As such, it needs to go back to the other body before potentially being\u00a0 sent to the governor and enacted into law.<\/p>\n

An analysis of the legislation says OUD \u201ccontinues to be one of the most insidious threats to public health of our time, devastating individuals, families, and communities across Texas and our nation,\u201d and \u201ccurrent treatment options are often unsuccessful in treating OUD and lives are lost as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ibogaine has \u201cshown incredible promise in early research as an effective and fast-acting treatment for OUD and other related or co-occurring conditions,\u201d it says. \u201cHowever, ibogaine must undergo costly FDA-approved clinical trials before it can become a viable treatment option.\u201d<\/p>\n

The proposed public-private partnership program envisioned under the legislation \u201cwill pay for the costs of the FDA\u2019s drug development trials with ibogaine to secure FDA approval as a medication for treatment of OUD, co-occurring substance use disorder, and any other neurological or mental health conditions for which ibogaine demonstrates efficacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organizations eligible for the grant money must be a \u201cfor-profit, nonprofit, or public benefit corporate entity\u201d that is capable of conducting clinical trials into ibogaine that could facilitate FDA approval, while also providing a proposal on the financial incentive of developing the psychedelic medicine, third-party insurance coverage of the therapy and credentialing of medical professionals to administer the drug.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf before implementing any provision of the bill a state agency determines a waiver or authorization from a federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision, the state agency affected by the provision must request the waiver or authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the waiver or authorization is granted,\u201d the analysis says.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0measure\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0passage comes days after the Texas House gave final passage to a pair of bills designed to\u00a0ensure speedy access to psychedelic-assisted therapy<\/a>\u00a0in the event of federal approval from FDA.<\/p>\n

One bill\u2014HB 4014, from Rep. John Bucy III (D)\u2014would establish a state-backed study into the use of psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine to treat conditions such as PTSD and depression. The other\u2014HB 4813, from Rep. Tom Oliverson (R)\u2014aims to minimize delay at the state level if and when FDA approves a new drug, such as psilocybin or MDMA.<\/p>\n

With respect to the cannabis legislation, its approval comes months after DPS released a report advising that the state\u2019s currently limited medical marijuana system \u201cdoes not provide for statewide access for patients\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and recommending that the number of licensed dispensaries be significantly expanded to meet demand.<\/p>\n

A recent poll found that\u00a0four in five Texas voters want to see marijuana legalized in some form<\/a>, and most also want to see regulations around cannabis relaxed.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile in Texas, a House committee approved a Senate-passed bill earlier this month that would prohibit cities from\u00a0putting any citizen initiative on local ballots that would decriminalize marijuana<\/a>\u00a0or other controlled substances\u2014as several localities have already done despite lawsuits from the state attorney general.<\/p>\n

Under the\u00a0proposal, state law would be amended to say that local entities \u201cmay not place an item on a ballot, including a municipal charter or charter amendment, that would provide that the local entity will not fully enforce\u201d state drug laws.<\/p>\n

While several courts have\u00a0previously upheld local cannabis decriminalization laws<\/a>, an appellate court comprised of three conservative justices appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has recently pushed back against two of those rulings, siding with the state in its legal challenge to the marijuana policy in\u00a0Austin<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0San Marcos<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite the ongoing litigation and advancement of the House and Senate bills, Texas activists have their targets set on yet another city, Kyle, where\u00a0they hope put an initiative before voters to enact local marijuana reform<\/a>\u00a0at the ballot this coming November.<\/p>\n

Abbott has lashed out against the municipal cannabis reform efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal communities such as towns, cities and counties, they don\u2019t have the authority to override state law,\u201d\u00a0the governor said last May<\/a>\u00a0\u201cIf they want to see a different law passed, they need to work with their legislators. Let\u2019s legislate to work to make sure that the state, as a state, will pass some of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said it would lead to \u201cchaos\u201d and create an \u201cunworkable system\u201d for voters in individual cities to be \u201cpicking and choosing\u201d the laws they want abide by under state statute.<\/p>\n

Abbott has previously said that he\u00a0doesn\u2019t believe people should be in jail over marijuana possession<\/a>\u2014although he mistakenly suggested at the time that Texas had already enacted a decriminalization policy to that end.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Ground Game released a report that\u00a0looked at the impacts of the marijuana reform laws<\/a>. It found that the measures will keep hundreds of people out of jail, even as they have led to blowback from law enforcement in some cities. The initiatives have also driven voter turnout by being on the ballot, the report said.<\/p>\n

Another\u00a0cannabis decriminalization measure that went before voters in San Antonio<\/a>\u00a0that year was overwhelmingly defeated, but that proposal also included unrelated provisions to prevent enforcement of abortion restrictions.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in March the Texas Senate approved a bill that cannabis advocates and stakeholders said\u00a0would effectively eradicate the state\u2019s hemp industry<\/a>, prohibiting consumable products derived from the plant that contain any amount of THC.<\/p>\n

That, as well as another measure from Rep. Joe Moody (D) to decriminalize cannabis statewide, is one of the\u00a0latest of nearly two dozen cannabis-related proposals filed so far in Texas<\/a>\u00a0for the current legislative session. Various other measures would legalize adult-use marijuana, remove criminal penalties for cannabis possession and adjust the state\u2019s existing medical marijuana laws, among others.<\/p>\n

Moody\u00a0sponsored a similar marijuana decriminalization bill last legislative session<\/a>, in 2023. That measure, HB 218, passed the House on an 87\u201359 vote but later died in a Senate committee.<\/p>\n

The House had already\u00a0passed earlier cannabis decriminalization proposals<\/a>\u00a0during the two previous legislative sessions, in 2021 and 2019. But\u00a0the efforts have consistently stalled in the Senate<\/a>\u00a0amid opposition from the lieutenant governor.<\/p>\n

Ben Adlin contributed reporting.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Pennsylvania Senate Committee Rejects Marijuana Legalization Bill That Was Approved By House<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

The post Texas Lawmakers Pass Bills To Expand Medical Marijuana Program And Support Psychedelic Research<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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