Texas lawmakers are set to add chronic pain as a qualifying condition for the state’s medical cannabis program, according to a statement posted this week by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), saying he had reached an agreement on the issue with state Rep. Tom Oliverson (R).
The agreement comes after the House earlier this month voted 122 to 21 to advance a bill adding chronic pain and Crohn’s disease to the Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP) — and also after the Legislature last week approved a statewide ban on products containing any amount of THC or other cannabinoids except for CBD or CBG.
Patrick posted Sunday on X that lawmakers have agreed “to add chronic pain as a qualifying medical condition to TCUP (compassionate use program) for those who suffer chronic pain as currently defined by the Texas Medical Board rules.”
The lieutenant governor also highlighted several changes to the state program under House Bill 46:
“We are expanding licenses from 3 (current law) to 12 and adding satellite locations in each public health region of the state for the first time ever. We’ve also added terminal illness and hospice care to the list of qualifying medical conditions for the TCUP program. Additionally, we’ve increased and standardized the dosage, while giving physicians autonomy to prescribe the right dose for each patient’s needs, along with metered dose inhalation delivery systems.” — Lt. Gov. Patrick, in a statement
Patrick was also the driving force behind the Legislature’s recent THC ban, having announced last year that lawmakers would prioritize reining in the Texas hemp products industry.
Meanwhile, hemp advocates are petitioning Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to veto the ban on hemp products.
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