AUSTIN, Texas _ The Texas House has approved a bill that would expand the state's medical marijuana laws to cover many more patients with a variety of different ailments and diseases.
"There are countless Texans enduring insurmountable pain as they battle diseases like cancer, autism and PTSD," Rep. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, said as he introduced his bill late Monday evening. "This is undoubtedly a complex bill, members. But it has taken countless hours of time to develop a system we believe would work best to serve those in need. By combining needed patient protections and a comprehensive research component, this bill provides a framework to improve the lives of countless Texans in the near future."
Under current law, only Texans diagnosed with "intractable epilepsy" are allowed to use cannabis that contains low levels of the psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, under the state's Compassionate Use Act. Lucio's House Bill 1365 would expand the act to cover Texans with autism, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and many more medical issues.
The bill passed by a vote of 121-23. It needs to be approved by a majority of the House members once more before being sent to the Texas Senate for further debate. The legislative session ends May 27.
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