A new low-THC law comes into effect today for Texans. Also known as the Compassionate Use Program, the law allows regulated businesses to cultivate, process and sell low-THC to medical patients with intractable epilepsy.
Despite Governor Greg Abbott signing the legislation into law on June 1, the Texas Department of Public Safety has until December 1 to adopt some rules and until 2017 to license at least “three dispensing organizations”
The Department has also been charged with creating a registry of physicians and patients involved with epilepsy.
Despite progress on the medical cannabis front, Cliff Deuvall of Waco NORML says the bill isn’t without its problems.
“At this point, it’s not workable because a doctor cannot prescribe it, and the distribution of it, therefore, is going to be kind of hard,” said Deuvall, adding that the Texan model puts doctors at risk of losing their license due to federal law. “They are working on the wording to reduce the wording from “prescribe” to “recommended.”