A bill expanding Texas’ medical marijuana program is headed to the Texas Senate.
Rep. Stephanie Klick, a Fort Worth Republican, filed the bill that would expand Texas’ Compassionate Use Program to include chronic pain in cases where opioids would be prescribed, as well as “debilitating medical conditions” designated by the Department of State Health Services.
The program allows doctors to prescribe “low-THC cannabis” to treat a limited number of medical conditions, such as cancer, epilepsy and post-traumatic stress disorders. The program has been gradually expanded in recent sessions to include more conditions. As it has broadened, Klick has stressed the importance of a medical program that follows the scientific data.