Regardless of the legislative outcome, April 11, 2019 in the Texas Capitol showed the true power, vastness and most importantly, the diversity of the cannabis advocacy community in a state long known for its prohibitionist policies. Far from the stereotypical Cheech and Chong stoner who only cares about eating Cheetos and napping, those who testified in favor of the several cannabis-related pieces of legislation were everyone from veterans who’ve found relief from PTSD to doctors who provided legitimate medical research on cannabis to parents whose children have found a saving grace against the horrific battle against severe epilepsy.
As of 2019, 33 states that have some form of a medical cannabis program with various qualifying conditions explicitly stated in the framework of each respective bill. Although this equates to comfortably over half the country possibly having access to medical cannabis, there’s a glaring problem in 21 of those states. Autism, a condition affecting 1 in 59 children according to Autism Speaks, isn’t a qualifying condition in the 21 aforementioned states, leading to a variety of issues for parents wanting to have medical cannabis access for their children.
Mothers Advocating Medical Marijuana for Autism, more commonly known as MAMMA, is a nationwide advocacy group who advocate for autism to be added to every state’s existing list of qualifying conditions so that parents with children on the autism spectrum may have fair access to the plant across the Legal States of America.
Several of the members of the group’s Texas chapter testified today strongly in favor of a number of bills, most notably HB 1365, with riveting testimonies about the night-and-day positive differences that cannabis makes in regards to their children’s negative behavior and suffering due to autism.
To receive some more insight on both the bills discussed earlier today as well as the aspirations and hopes of TX MAMMA for the 2019 Legislative Session, I had the honor of speaking with Co-founder and Director of Advocacy Thalia Seggelink.
JK: How many members did TX MAMMA have in total testify at the hearings for HJR 21, HB 1365 and the other medical cannabis expansion-related pieces of legislation?
TS: I don’t think any MAMMA’s testified for HJR 21 but eight MAMMA’s registered to testify for HB 1365. Several more registered in favor, but not to speak. We tried to limit testimony to a minimal number. In total, we have 500 members in Texas. We tried to be as selective as possible out of respect to the committee members.
JK: How could the passing of any of these bills benefit children with autism who’ve found relief through cannabis and their respective families?
TS: A bill like HB 1365 would allow families legal access to safe/effective medicine. Research proves cannabis is a safe and effective alternative to dangerous pharmaceuticals. About 500,000 Texans are diagnosed with autism and 53% of those suffer from aggression and self injury. There are no FDA-approved pharmaceuticals for core symptoms of autism. The only two FDA-approved drugs that are approved for “irritability” in autism have black box warnings with a potential side effect of death.
JK: Since autism frequently isn’t listed as a qualifying condition in several states with medical cannabis programs, would these any of these bills automatically have autism as a qualifying medical condition or would there have to be another legal process to have autism listed as a qualifying condition?
TS: HB 1365 lists autism as a qualifying condition. This is the bill that would help a majority of our families. 11 states and the territory of Puerto Rico have listed autism as an official qualifying condition in their medical cannabis programs. Several others allow access through “debilitating conditions” or “neurological conditions”. MAMMA has contributed to a majority of those states (the 11) in helping get autism qualified. It is up to the Texas state legislature to make sure our families are included in any medical cannabis program.
JK: Would there be any legislative conflicts or roadblocks that could get in the way of any of these bills being passed?
TS: There are a number of potential roadblocks. Not meeting deadlines is a fear. Being blocked in Calendars, in the Senate, on either floor or potentially the Governor or even Lt. Governor could present a problem. They’ve been elusive on their stances. We are constantly praying for God’s grace.
JK: What other advocacy plans does TX MAMMA have for the 2019 Legislative Session?
TS: We will continue to fight to help educate legislators and the public at broad. SB 2416 by State Senator Donna Campbell provides for limited access (1% THC) to cannabis medicines and allows doctors to determine which patients to prescribe for. While many families could benefit even from this very narrow measure, HB 1365 is our ideal bill in that it would give all our families access to the medicines they need without a cap on THC.