January Events
December 15, 2020Texas NORML: Looking Back at 2020
December 21, 2020The Texas Legislature is expected to consider proposals to reform the state’s medical cannabis program during the 2021 legislative session. To help inform this process, Vicente Sederberg LLP has produced a brief white paper, which examines the effectiveness and sustainability of the current Texas Compassionate Use Program (T.CUP) and offers policy recommendations for improving patient access, treatment outcomes, and the economic health of the program.
The authors also performed a comparative analysis of the T.CUP and healthy medical cannabis programs in other states around the country. In summary, it found that, if Texas enacted the proposed policy recommendations, it would significantly increase patient registration, boost sales, and ensure the viability of the program and its existing business licensee. This larger and more robust medical cannabis market could also sustain hundreds of new businesses, create tens of thousands of new jobs, and result in additional benefits such as criminal justice savings, reduced state public health spending, and a drop in opioid abuse and mortality.
To improve the health of patients and of T.CUP, the authors make the following recommendations to the Legislature:
- Allow Texas physicians to determine the appropriate forms and dosage for patients
- Limit THC dispensation by purchase volume rather than individual product
- Add specialized license types, like testing, and embrace Texas free market competition
- Establish specific time frames for rulemaking and decide which agency should have authority
To learn more about pre-filed legislation regarding cannabis and action alerts, click here.
Upcoming Events:
- January Texas NORML Meeting on Wednesday, January 6th at 8pm
- Texas Marijuana Policy Legislative Workshop on Tuesday, January 12th, 2021 at 7pm
- Texas Medical Cannabis Symposium — A CME and Policy Day on January 9th, 2021 at 9:30am
- Racial Disparity and Social Justice in Texas Seminar on Monday, January 18th, 2021 at 10am
Learn how to become a member of our organization. Make a donation towards our important work during the 2021 Legislative Session. Shop in the Texas NORML store.