Fewer Than 600 Patients Benefit from Medical Cannabis Under Texas Law
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]O[/dropcap]f the estimated 150,000 patients who suffer from uncontrollable epileptic seizures in the state of Texas, fewer than 600 have been prescribed cannabis oil under the state’s strict medical cannabis laws.
Roughly 45 doctors have signed up to prescribe cannabidiol (CBD) products almost one year since the first cannabis plants were legally harvested in Texas. The state’s cannabis program under the Texas Compassionate Use Act only grants patients with intractable epilepsy access to CBD and other cannabis treatments.
The Texas Compassionate Use Act has been in effect since 2015, but the rollout has been slow. Texas issued its first medical cannabis license late last year, and only three companies in central Texas have been licensed to distribute cannabis. Of the three companies, one hasn’t opened yet and another has reported financial losses because of a small client base.
State lawmakers have been pushing proposals that would loosen restrictions around tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and give more patients access to medical cannabis, including patients who suffer from cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder and other serious medical conditions. Some advocates are looking to modify the program’s language because doctors are reluctant due to the requirement that even though they prescribe the drug, they don’t recommend it. Recommendations are used in other states to circumvent federal laws, which still classifies cannabis as illegal.
“This is not a liberal or conservative issue, this is a medical issue,” said Democratic state Sen. Jose Menendez, who filed a bill to expand the program to cover 20 other conditions and allow higher THC levels. “Why do we as a Legislature get to think we know better than the doctors? Why are we limiting this and keeping people that have glaucoma, MS, cancer, from having access?”
Several cannabis-related proposals are on the docket for the next legislative session, which is set to begin in January.
