Texas Releases Rules for Expanding Medical Cannabis Dispensary Licenses

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has posted draft regulations to expand the number of medical cannabis dispensary licenses in the state under legislation signed into law in June, Marijuana Moment reports.

The proposed rules, which were published Friday in the Texas Register, have entered into a 30-day public comment period.

While the rules’ most significant change would be adding twelve new dispensary licenses — currently, there are just three — the rules also seek to specify state officials’ licensing powers, especially when it comes to revoking licenses. The first round of licensing will be available only to a group of 139 applicants who registered during a previous application window in 2023, the report said.

The proposal signed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) also calls for expanding the program’s qualifying conditions list to include chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, end-of-life care, and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Meanwhile, as Texas officials are working to implement the recent medical cannabis expansions, state lawmakers are maneuvering in a special legislative session to clamp down on hemp-derived THC products. The Senate passed a proposal last week banning hemp THC products outright, even though the governor vetoed similar legislation in June.