Texas Medical Marijuana Laws – What You Need to Know?

Texas residents finally have legal access to medical marijuana products through a qualified physician’s prescription. DocMJ is the state’s leading group of Texas doctors that specialize in medical marijuana prescriptions. While the process is pretty simple, the laws and regulations are quite different than most other states.

Here is everything you need to know about Texas Medical Marijuana Laws.

What is the Compassionate Use Program?

The Department of Public Safety (DPS) administers the Compassionate Use Program (CUP) in Texas, under the authority of the Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 487. Through the program, DPS operates a secure online registry of qualified physicians who can prescribe low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to patients with qualifying medical conditions.

The state’s registry, known as the Compassionate Use Registry of Texas (CURT), is designed to prevent more than one qualified physician from registering as the prescriber for a single patient. It is accessible to law enforcement agencies and dispensing organizations so they can verify the patients’ prescription of low-THC marijuana, and it allows the qualified physician to input safety and efficacy data derived from the treatment of their patients.

In addition, the Department of Public Safety also manages the licensing of organizations that dispense low-THC cannabis to patients through the CURT.

How to Legally Qualify for a Texas MMJ Prescription

Initially, the Compassionate-Use Program only applied to patients with intractable epilepsy, but the Texas Legislature has since expanded the list of eligible conditions. Currently, this program is open to permanent Texas residents with the following conditions listed:

• epilepsy
• a seizure disorder
• multiple sclerosis
• spasticity
• amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• autism
• cancer
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• an incurable neurodegenerative disease

Additionally, Texas law HB 1535 expanded the Compassionate-Use Program to patients with all forms of cancer and patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and raised the maximum level of THC from 0.5% to 1%. HB 1535 went into effect on September 1st, 2021.

What are Low-THC products?

Low-THC comes from the plant Cannabis Sativa L (more commonly referred to as marijuana). All parts of the plant and any resulting compounds, salts, resins, oils, and derivatives containing no more than 0.5 % by THC weight are considered Low-THC. Medical use of these products is limited to swallowing, not smoking, the prescribed dose of low-THC.

Patients may get Low-THC cannabis prescribed if:

• The patient is a permanent resident of Texas
• The patient has one of the medical conditions listed above
• A CUP registered physician prescribes
• That qualified physician decides the benefit outweighs the risk

There is no age limit for prescriptions. Patients under 18 may need a legal guardian.

Getting a Medical Marijuana Prescription

The process of getting a medical marijuana prescription is quite simple as long as you are a Texas resident who has been diagnosed with one of the qualifying conditions. DocMJ is the premiere medical marijuana physicians group in Texas. We offer hassle-free virtual appointments over the phone and offer a money-back guarantee if you do not qualify per state guidelines.

Here are the steps you need to take to get a medical marijuana prescription:

• The physician will enter a prescription in the Compassionate Use Registry of Texas (CURT)
• The patient or legal guardian will need to provide ID and patient’s, last name, date of birth, and last five digits of their Social Security Number
• After, the patient or legal guardian can order from any licensed dispensary to get the prescription filled.

If you are considering using medical cannabis in Texas, contact DocMJ to find out if you qualify.

Author: Dr. Patankar