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Percentage of Texans who support the expansion of medical marijuana.
Percentage of Texans who believe that doctors and researchers — not lawmakers or state regulators — should determine how and when to use medical marijuana with patients.
Percentage of Texans who support university-based research on medical marijuana.
And that’s just the start. Let’s put doctors in charge of deciding what is best for their patients. Let’s give universities the opportunity to perform rigorous research. And let’s make sure that the medical marijuana industry is tightly regulated with the highest quality standards. After all, the issue is simple: Texans want to help other Texans. If you are interested, we hope you’ll join the TEAMM.
Want to know what Texans really think about medical marijuana? Read the poll we conducted.
Medical marijuana uses cannabis and its compounds to treat diseases or conditions as recommended by a doctor. Cannabis contains numerous chemicals called cannabinoids and terpenes, and each one mimics compounds naturally found in our bodies that regulate appetite, memory, and pain. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the main compounds used for medicinal purposes, and they are more effective when used together, creating what is known as the “entourage effect.”
More than half of the states in the U.S., including Texas, have legalized medical marijuana in some form.
Medical marijuana has been used to treat a number of different conditions, including:
The Texas Compassionate Use Act (Senate Bill 339) was authored by then state Senator Kevin Eltife in 2015 and signed by Governor Greg Abbott. Though the bill represents a big step forward for medical marijuana in Texas, it remains extremely limited in scope. For example, only 50 doctors statewide are authorized to recommend medical marijuana to their patients, and those patients must have been diagnosed with intractable epilepsy. In addition, the bill required the Department of Public Safety to license at least three dispensing organizations by Sept. 1, 2017, should they meet the requirements. The license authorizes the organizations to cultivate, process and dispense low-THC cannabis to prescribed patients. To date, only three organizations have received licenses.
To receive a prescription, a patient must have unsuccessfully tried other pharmaceutical drugs. At that point, an approved physician can determine that medical marijuana could be beneficial to the patient, but the prescription can be filled only if a second qualified physician concurs with the determination. At that point, the patient or caregiver will then be able to go to any of the dispensaries to have the prescription filled, but that can be extremely inconvenient. All three dispensaries are located in Austin, so a patient living in El Paso, the Panhandle, or South Texas would have to make up to a 570-mile trip one way to receive the medicine. A patient can also pay to have the medicine hand-delivered, which is expensive.
During the 2017 Legislature (85th Legislative Session) several bills were filed to expand Texans’ access to medical marijuana but none of them were successful. The following year, both Republicans and Democrats embraced the issue at their state conventions. The Republican Party advocated for the expansion of medical marijuana along with several other measures related to the drug. The Democratic Party reaffirmed its support for the full legalization of marijuana in its platform in addition to medical expansion.
Percentage of Texans who favor expanded access to medical marijuana after learning how restrictive the current law is.
Percentage of Texans who favor expanding the number of diseases and conditions treated by medical marijuana.
Percentage of Texans who favor increasing the number of doctors who can prescribe medical marijuana to their patients.
Texans for Expanded Access to Medical Marijuana educates Texans about the benefits for medical marijuana in the state and advocates for an expansion of the current legislation. TEAMM is supported by Green Peak Innovations, one of the most respected medical cannabis companies in the country.
We believe that patients come first. We think doctors should be in charge. And we support the highest quality controls for the industry. So join the TEAMM and help us bring expanded access to medical marijuana to Texas.
Want to know more about medical marijuana in Texas? Interested in joining the TEAMM? Fill out the form below and we’ll be back in touch. You can also follow us on Twitter @TEAMM2019
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