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Cleanup Act S3454 was introduced on Feb. 11 following the governor`s veto threat and signed into law by the state`s governor later that day, along with previous decriminalization and legalization legislation. [79] [80] In early 2018, the first sales of low-THC medical cannabis began in Texas under the Compassionate Use Program. While the program certainly helps some patients, it is imperfect, extremely limited, and leaves most patients behind. Initially, only patients with severe seizure disorders were able to participate, leaving behind large numbers of Texans with other conditions, including chronic pain, and many who otherwise rely on opioid-based medications. Although the law was slightly improved in 2019 with the addition of additional qualification requirements, major shortcomings remain. The law puts doctors at unnecessary risk: State law requires doctors to issue prescriptions for marijuana products, but cannabis prescriptions are clearly illegal under federal law, putting doctors at potential risk. As mentioned, it is also limited to cannabis with very low THC content. Eventually, the state only approved three companies to operate medical cannabis businesses across the state. Each serves as a grower, processor, and dispensary for Texas patients who qualify. In recent years, legislators have proposed comprehensive programs, but none have been adopted.

Let your legislators know that voters expect them to do better when they return to Austin in the next Parliament. Cuellar, who is currently in a fierce runoff ballot for his 10th birthday. Jessica Cisneros has long infuriated progressive Democrats with her conservative positions on many social issues. The Laredo politician is against abortion and was the only Democrat to vote against federal abortion legislation last fall. If the House approves the changes made by the upper chamber, the bill will be sent to Governor Greg Abbott`s office. The bill also makes other changes, including the following: The 2021 Texas legislature was suspended on Monday, May 31, 2021. Although several cannabis reform laws have been introduced this year, only one very modest reform – HB 1535 – has been approved by the legislature. Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed the bill. The new law will come into force on September 1, 2021.

The bill will expand the state`s low-THC medical cannabis program to people with cancer and PTSD. It will also slightly increase the current THC cap from 0.5% for medical cannabis to 1%. While HB 1535 represents a modest improvement, there is still a lot of work to be done to establish an effective medical cannabis program for patients throughout the Lone Star State. Texas is currently one of 13 states that do not have effective medical cannabis laws and one of 19 states that still impose prison sentences for simple possession of cannabis. Make sure your legislators know that this issue is important to voters. Call on them to support cannabis policy reform in the next parliamentary term! Medical: Ask your legislators to establish an effective medical cannabis program. Decriminalization: Contact your legislators and ask them to stop incarcerating cannabis users. Legalization: Urge your legislators to end cannabis prohibition in Texas and legalize, tax, and regulate adult-use cannabis. A new Texas law aimed to align the state with a 2018 federal law that legalized hemp while keeping marijuana illegal. The result: widespread confusion. The year 2021 has begun with varying degrees of legalization of unlimited THC cannabis in 34 states, more than half of the U.S. states, and an ongoing federal ban on low-THC hemp.

Several states considering candidates for legislation to legalize adult cannabis in 2021 included Connecticut, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia,[1] some of which, like New York, had already been decriminalized. At the federal level, the Democratic Party`s majority in both houses of the 117th U.S. Congress has been cited by Politico as a likely requirement for federal legalization in 2021, with the SAFE Banking Act likely to pass. [2] Earlier this month, Lt. Gen. Dan Patrick said a bill decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana was “dead on arrival” in the Senate. But his party`s platform supports the decriminalization of marijuana. So what`s the matter? After passing the 2019 law legalizing hemp in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott and other state officials insisted the law not decriminalize marijuana. But the law was still followed by a sharp drop in marijuana arrests across the state, as some counties stopped prosecuting marijuana possession cases and others lacked the testing capabilities to distinguish marijuana from legal hemp. Polls have shown that support for some form of marijuana legalization has remained strong in recent years.

The 220-204 vote included all Texas representatives except Cuellar who voted along party lines. Another Democrat, U.S. Representative Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, also voted against the bill. Three of the 209 Republicans voted with Democrats to pass the law. Hemp is a cousin of the marijuana plant, but it contains small amounts of the psychoactive element in marijuana known as THC. The House bill will now be submitted to the Senate. Full article Bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey and State Senator Joshua Miller. Allows sale through April 2022 and regulation under Rhode Island`s new Cannabis Control Commission. [117] On June 14, the bill was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. It was the first time a legalization measure had been approved for a vote in either house of the Rhode Island legislature. [118] The bill passed the Senate on June 22 by a vote of 29 to 9. [119] Rep.

Stephanie Klick`s bill would give Texans with multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and spasticity access to medical cannabis oil. The legislature has a bleak chance of becoming law. It now goes to the divided Senate evenly and would need significant Republican support to get the 60 votes needed to pass. A similar bill passed the Democratic-controlled House in December 2020, but stalled in the upper chamber. The man had told a Texas Department of Public Safety soldier that his truck contained hemp, not weed. He was released after a federal criminal investigation laboratory tested the shipment.