Texas Senate Narrows, Expands Medical Cannabis Bill

The Texas Senate has approved a significant expansion of the Texas Compassionate Use Program, adding chronic pain and terminal illness as qualifying conditions while removing earlier House-approved conditions such as traumatic brain injury and Crohn’s disease. The bill also increases the number of distribution licenses from three to twelve and permits more satellite dispensary locations to boost accessibility and reduce costs. New forms of THC delivery, including aerosols and vapes, are now authorized alongside previous ingestible and smokable options. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick reversed his initial opposition to chronic pain after pressure from veterans' groups and advocacy organizations. The expansion is seen as critical since Texas is also enacting a ban on unregulated hemp-based THC products, which had served as a more affordable alternative for many patients. The bill now returns to the Texas House for final approval before heading to Governor Greg Abbott.