Texas: House passes SB 3 — banning hemp-derived THC

Following strong-arming by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the Texas House of Representatives voted to ban consumable hemp. 
  
This is a crushing blow to the tens of thousands of people who have utilized these products responsibly and to the 50,000 people employed in this industry. If the amended version is approved by the state Senate, the legislation will then go to Gov. Greg Abbott (R). If the bill becomes law, it will go into effect on September 1, 2025.
 
With this development, the fate of Texas’ medical cannabis expansion bill, HB 46, is more important than ever. The Texas Compassionate Use Program (“TCUP”) is so restrictive that MPP does not count Texas as a “medical cannabis state.” The committee substitute, CSHB 46, would improve the program by:

• issuing eight more licenses to produce low-THC products (for a total of 11),
• allowing dispensing organizations to have satellite storage facilities in every medical region of the state,
• allowing for tinctures, suppositories, and — when it is medically needed as specified by a doctor — non-smoked inhalation,
• adding chronic pain as a qualifying condition, when the clinician would otherwise prescribe an opioid,
• adding glaucoma, traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal neuropathy, degenerative disc diseases, Crohn’s and other Intestinal Bowel Syndromes, terminal diseases or hospice/palliative care, and any condition for an honorably discharged veteran of the armed services, and
• codifying the process to further add qualifying conditions by the Department of State Health Services as well as the process for a clinician to request adding a condition.

It would not lift the current 1% THC cap or allow flower.
 
If you live in Texas, ask your senator to support the expansion of TCUP!
 
TCUP is so limited that few have benefitted from it. While it will not fill the gap created by the passage of SB 3, HB 46 will expand access to thousands of Texans with debilitating conditions.