More and more states are looking to their marijuana laws in order to both reconsider them and revise them. Some choose full legalization while other states take smaller steps.
According to Marijuana Moment, Texas Governor Abbot recently signed a bill approved by the house that would expand a few of the current limitations on medical marijuana.
How the bill started
The original house bill sought to include cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain as qualifying conditions. It also looked to raise the THC limit on medicinal THC to 5%.
The senate removed some of these provisions before sending it to the governor and the house did not re-add them through a conference committee.
What the bill changes
As per the approved legislation, the allowable concentration of medicinal TCH is now one percent, up from 0.5. The new bill also adds cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of qualifying reasons for medical marijuana.
What the bill does not change
The bill that saw Abbot’s signature had several cousin bills that aimed to decriminalize marijuana possession and revise the state’s hemp program. These did not pass by the end of the session.
It is unclear what marijuana laws the next session may look at.
What this means for Texans
As marijuana legislation continues to land on the house and senate floors, more people with qualifying conditions gain access to the medicinal properties of THC. For those who do not qualify, marijuana is still an illegal substance that is not decriminalized. As such, it is important for anyone to understand the different ways marijuana charges may affect their life if facing a drug charge.