This week the Texas House has overwhelmingly voted to expand the state’s medical marijuana program.
The House of Representatives approved a bill on Monday, a bill that would add multiple conditions that qualify patients for medical cannabis under the Compassionate Use Program.
The program currently only allows people with intractable epilepsy who’ve exhausted their pharmaceutical options to access low-THC marijuana.
New conditions that will be allowed are: cancer, autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Tourette syndrome, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis.
The measure passed 121 to 23.
The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Eddie Lucio, (D) stated that “thousands of people in our state who are too sick to function or live in constant debilitating pain.”
“Patients, caregivers, and medical professionals have been working for years to see the passage of legislation expanding access to the Compassionate Use Program,” Heather Fazio, director of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, said.
“We are so grateful for Rep. Eddie Lucio’s leadership and for the 121 members of the House who agree that patients with debilitating medical conditions deserve the medical freedom to choose cannabis if their doctors think it can help.”
