After the Texas medical cannabis expansion bill sat in a legislative limbo for two weeks, HB 1535 made its way through a Senate committee and the full Senate floor for debate. The Senate approved HB 1535. It now heads back to the House for a final debate on the Senate amendments before heading to Governor Greg Abbot’s desk. 

HB 1535

The medical cannabis expansion bill would expand the qualifying conditions for patients who could benefit from cannabis usage. These include all cancer patients, chronic pain sufferers, and veterans with PTSD. It also looks to increase the THC limit from the current 0.5 percent  to one percent. 

It passed the House of Representatives easily, and headed to the Senate where it waited. The Lieutenant Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick (R), who presides over the Senate, has been opposed to legalization efforts for years. It seemed like the expansion bill would die as the legislative session was drawing closer to its end. 

With pressure from lawmakers and the general public, Lt. Governor Patrick assigned the bill to two committees for debate. The Senate State Affairs Committee and the Public Health Committee both approved HB 1535, moving it forward to a full Senate debate. Once the bill made it to the floor, it received approval with amendments. Because of these amendments, the bill now returns to the House. 

Changes

A few significant changes happened to HB 1535 while it was in committee discussion. First, chronic pain was removed as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis. However, PTSD was expanded to include all diagnosed, not just veterans. These changes would increase the number of qualifying medical cannabis patients. 

Currently, Texas’ medical cannabis program has around 5,000 registered patients, though many more qualify. With these changes, around a million more people qualify for medical cannabis use.

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