Texas House Rejects Senate Changes to Medical Marijuana Program Expansion Bill
The Texas House has rejected the Senate’s changes to a bill aimed at expanding the state’s medical marijuana program, instead opting to send the measure to a conference committee to resolve the differences. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Cody Harris (R), would have significantly expanded the state’s medical marijuana program by adding more dispensaries, expanding the list of qualifying conditions, and allowing medical marijuana for end-of-life patients.
The Senate had made significant changes to the bill, removing several conditions from the list of qualifying conditions and adding new requirements for dispensary owners. The House rejected these changes, with Rep. Ken King (R) saying that supporters wanted to go to conference to debate the revisions.
The bill would have added chronic pain, glaucoma, traumatic brain injury, spinal neuropathy, Crohn’s disease, and degenerative disc disease to the list of qualifying conditions. It would also have allowed patients to access a wider range of cannabis products, including patches, lotions, suppositories, and vaping devices.
The Senate had also removed the condition of chronic pain from the list, which drew criticism from proponents of the bill. However, the Senate later reinserted the condition into the bill with an amendment.
The bill would also have required dispensaries to submit fingerprints for a background check if they have more than 10% control of the business. Additionally, it would have mandated that the Department of Public Safety issue nine additional dispensary licenses and allowed dispensaries to open satellite locations.
The bill would have also grandfathered existing medical cannabis dispensary satellite locations, ensured a competitive business licensing application process, created a timeline for when new licenses must be issued, and removed a 1.2 gram limit for possession by patients.
Regulators would have been required to promulgate rules for the expanded program by October 1, 2025. If signed into law, the bill would have built upon Texas’s current limited medical marijuana program, which allows patients with one of eight qualifying conditions to access certain non-smokable cannabis products containing no more than 0.5% THC.
The rejection of the Senate’s changes sends the bill back to the conference committee, where lawmakers will work to resolve the differences between the two chambers. The bill will then need to be sent back to both chambers for a final vote before it can be sent to the governor’s desk.
