A Texas lawmaker has introduced a bill that would expand the state’s current CBD program to include full-strength medical marijuana and additional qualifying conditions, which could create a massive new MMJ market.
The legislation, introduced by Sen. José Menéndez on Tuesday, is expected to face an uphill battle, according to the Austin American-Statesman. A similar bill died last year. The Republican Party controls both the legislature and the governorship.
Under the current Texas Compassionate Use Program, patients can take CBD oils only if they suffer from epilepsy.
“Doctors, not politicians, should be determining what is best for Texas patients,” Menéndez said in a news release. “This is legitimate medicine that can help a variety of sick people, from the grandmother suffering from cancer to the veteran coping with PTSD after returning home from war.”
His legislation would allow patients to access MMJ through a recommendation from their physician.
After the historic Nov. 8 election, when eight states passed some form of marijuana legislation, Texas politicians wasted little time jumping on the bandwagon, with lawmakers filing both medical and adult-use bills.