Texas ag commissioner pushes for medical cannabis expansion

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Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller favors expanding access for medical cannabis patients in the state.

In a recent opinion column posted on the state website, Miller compared marijuana laws to the failed alcohol prohibition laws of the 1920s and said that he would urge Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to make MMJ a legislative priority in the upcoming session.

Currently, Texas has a very limited list of qualifying conditions for which medical marijuana patients are permitted to use certain low-THC products.

Without offering specifics, Miller proposed expanding access so that “every Texan with a medical need has access to these medicines.”

“It is time for all of us, including the Governor, members of the Texas Legislature and others to come together and set aside our political differences to have an honest conversation about cannabis: where we have been, where we are going and what role government should properly play,” Miller wrote.

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When Texas legalized hemp cultivation in 2020, Miller was among the first to grow hemp on his property and predicted Texas would become a leader in hemp production.

He also filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2021 over the agency’s $4 billion proposal to assist socially disadvantaged farmers in obtaining debt relief.