Today, representatives from TX MAMMA met with Gov. Greg Abbott about expanding the Texas Compassionate Use Program to include conditions such as autism. In their meeting with the Governor, Gov. Abbott confirmed he would sign any medical cannabis expansion bill that was sent to his desk from the Senate. Now, there is a catch. Getting one to him.
Currently, there are two Texas Compassionate Use Act expansion bills in the Senate that could possibly make it to the Governor’s desk. House Bill 1365, authored by Rep. Lucio (D), and House Bill 3703 that was authored by Rep. Klick (R) – who happens to be the original author to the Compassionate Use Act.
Now here is a “thing”:
Representative Lucio’s House Bill 1365 was voted out of the House of Representatives and received by the Senate on May 7th where it has stayed, as shown below.
Representative Klick’s House Bill 3703 was voted out of the House of Representatives and received by the Senate on May 8th, and ultimately read for the first time and assigned to it’s Senate Committee 2 days later, on May 10th. (Update: as of 4:12 pm MST – House Bill 3703 has been scheduled for a hearing on May 17th, 2019 beginning at 11 am CST)
As both HB 1365 and HB 3703 are both still limited in the way they expand the Texas Compassionate Use Program, Representative Klick’s bill is by far the more strict expansion bill. HB 3703 removes the word “intractable” from the current condition of “intractable epilepsy”, leaving it open to any patient with epilepsy and it adds 2 more conditions: multiple sclerosis and spasticity. It’s almost like other patients in Texas don’t matter to Representative Klick, but that is a topic for another day.
Representative Lucio’s House Bill 1365 would be the bill that would expand the program considerably more. HB 1365 would expand the program establishing a regulatory review board that “shall determine the formulations and dosages, including ratios of cannabinoids, that are medically appropriate for patients with particular debilitating medical conditions” and to add the following conditions to be treated:
“(A) cancer, autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, neurological conditions including agitation of Alzheimer ’s disease, Parkinson ’s disease, Huntington ’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Tourette syndrome, Crohn ’s disease, ulcerative colitis, muscular dystrophy, or multiple sclerosis; or
(B) a medical condition that produces, or the treatment of a medical condition that produces: (i) endocannabinoid deficiency syndrome; (ii) cachexia or wasting syndrome; (iii) neuropathy; (iv) visceral, neuropathic, somatic, or severe intractable pain; (v) severe nausea; (vi) seizures, including those characteristic of epilepsy; (vii) severe and persistent muscle spasms,
including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis; or (viii) tic disorders”.
If you care about Texas patients, it’s almost a no-brainer as to which bill should pass. It’s almost as if Governor Greg Abbott and/or Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick don’t care about Texas patients that are needlessly suffering, as long as they have complete control and the last word.
As it looks (and most that understand the process and fight can tell), it seems that Rep. Klick’s bill is the favorite of the two in the Senate. It’s already been referred to committee, which is further than Lucio’s has made it to date. Our only hope may be amending Klick’s bill with language from another bill, such as Lucio’s HB 1365, or from Senator Diana Campbell’s Senate Bill 2416 – which actually removes the condition list, allows doctors too choose, and raises the THC cap to 1%.
Why are Republican elected representatives so against the well being of patients and them being in control of their lives and how they medicate? It’s not as though Rep. Lucio’s bill would turn Texas into a medical program like California had (not that that’s a bad thing), but I know that is what some representatives fear.
The 86th Legislative session ends in 13 days. We must keep the pressure on. We must continue to let Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick know that Texas supports medical cannabis and that we Texans demand that he represent what a majority of us want! As you light up, light up his phone lines as well. He must understand Texans support comprehensive medical cannabis!
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick – (512) 463-0001
Free the leaf!
Title Photo Credit: TX MAMMA