Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is calling for compassionate, but sensible cannabis policy in his state.
Mr. Miller is an interesting fellow with quite a history. A farmer himself, he is also a twenty-six-time world champion rodeo cowboy. He’s also a big supporter of hemp and the state’s medical marijuana program – in fact, he wants to see it expanded.
But when it comes to recreational marijuana, it’s a different story. He’s concerned with the prevalence of intoxicating hemp products being sold in the state due to loopholes in state and federal laws.
“While I do not support recreational, retail marijuana for all, it’s up to the legislature to fix the legislation on the books and, while doing so, have a robust and transparent debate about whether or not to expand its availability,” he state in a recent opinion piece.
In December last year, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick revealed he was backing an upcoming bill that would see all forms of the intoxicating cannabinoid THC banned from being sold in Texas. Commissioner Miller said he was experiencing pressure from some parties to stand against Lieutenant Governor Patrick’s efforts.
“I will not. That’s not how the law works,” he said. “The Lieutenant Governor is right to go after these unregulated and often illegal businesses.”
Commissioner Miller described the current situation in Texas was akin to the “wild west”.
“Even if the legislature voted to legalize recreational marijuana tomorrow, that legislation would create a legal market with rules, guardrails, checks, and balances.”
On the medical cannabis front, eligible Texans can access it through the State’s compassionate use program (CUP), which is administered by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). The Compassionate-Use Act was passed in 2015, and the program was expanded in 2019 and 2021 to include other conditions. But it’s still a very restrictive program, only allowing certain physicians to prescribe low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cannabis for certain medical purposes.
Qualifying conditions remain very limited; currently: epilepsy and other seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, spasticity, ALS, autism, terminal cancer and incurable neurodegenerative diseases. You can learn more about the CUP program here.
