Houston Chronicle
May 30, 2019
The Texas Legislature took some of its biggest strides loosening marijuana-related laws this session, passing bills to expand the state’s medical cannabis program and legalize certain hemp-derived products.
But as lawmakers pave the way to an even bigger surge of over-the-counter hemp products such as CBD oil, some marijuana advocates say the Legislature may have also created the medical program’s mightiest competitor.
The state’s Compassionate Use program is already one of the most restrictive in the nation, allowing only patients with intractable epilepsy access to marijuana-derived oil with up to 0.5 percent THC, the psychoactive ingredient that gives users a high. A bill passed this session would expand that program to include more patients.