Bill moving forward in Texas House would allow pain patients to access medical cannabis

Legislation that would expand Texans' access to medical marijuana and increase its allowable potency is moving forward in the state's House of Representatives.

Texas House's Public Health Subcommittee last week unanimously approved a bill for full debate that would allow physicians to prescribe medical marijuana to patients suffering from chronic pain for which they would otherwise be given opioids. 

HB 1805, authored by State Rep. Stephanie Klick, R-Fort Worth, would also get rid of the 1% cap on the amount of THC allowed in medical marijuana through the state's program. Under the bill, the amount of allowable THC — the compound in pot that leads to a high — would rise to a volumetric dose of 10 milligrams.

Cannabis advocates have complained that Texas' medical marijuana program — considered one of the most limited in the nation — leaves out people who suffer from chronic pain. Pain reduction is one of the most common reasons people report using medical cannabis.

Advocates also argue that the existing potency cap under Texas' medical pot program requires some patients to consume unnecessarily large quantities of gummies and tinctures to obtain the required dose they need for relief.

Progress on HB 1805 comes weeks after a House committee unanimously approved a bill that would decriminalize low-level pot possession and set up a way for people to expunge such arrests from their records. That proposal is now expected to see full House debate.

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