Medical Marijuana Greenlit in Texas as Opioid Alternative

Well, hold on to your cowboy hats, folks. Texas lawmakers have finally decided to embrace the wacky weed.

Yes, you heard it right, after years of staunch resistance, they have approved a bill that would allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to patients with chronic pain. I guess they finally realized that opioids aren't the only way to manage pain, or maybe they just ran out of other drugs to try.

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The new legislation, introduced by Rep. Stephanie Klick (R), also replaces the previous THC cap that was established under the state's limited medical cannabis law.

Do you qualify?

And if you were worried about not qualifying for medical marijuana, don't fret, my friends. The bill adds a new condition that qualifies patients for low-THC marijuana products: 'A condition that causes chronic pain, for which a physician would otherwise prescribe an opioid.' So, basically, if you have any kind of pain, you're good to go. The bill also allows regulators at the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to approve additional debilitating medical conditions for the cannabis program. 

Records expungement

And it's not just medical marijuana that's getting some love in Texas. The state is also considering decriminalizing cannabis possession, which would provide a pathway for records expungement.