It was this week that the Texas Senate advanced a bill that would expand the list of debilitating marijuana conditions that can be legally treated by marijuana.
The Senate had unanimously voted in favor of a bill by state Rep. Stephanie Klick, R-Fort Worth.
The bill will expand the state’s Compassionate Use Program, which currently allows the sale of cannabis oil only to people with intractable epilepsy who meet certain requirements.
The bill will now go back to the Texas House, where lawmakers can either approve the Senate changes or decide to fix their differences in a conference committee before lawmakers adjourn in five days.
“This bill is about compassion,” remarked state Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, the Senate sponsor of the bill. “For patients participating in the [Compassionate Use Program], they have had a remarkable and life-altering change because of this. That’s compassion.”
“Why aren’t veterans who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, included in this bill?” questioned state Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville.
“We just don’t have the data — good scientific data — that supports for PTSD that we can put in the bill at this time,” Campbell said. “To our veterans and our first responders: Thanks for speaking out. We hear you. But most importantly, we thank you for your service.
“I hope — I hope — that we can get the definitive research necessary to be able to include PTSD, traumatic brain injury and those other illnesses that are very difficult to measure.”
