Is Medical Marijuana and CBD in Texas Legal?

About the author: Dr. Cheng Ruan is the founder and CEO of the Texas Center for Lifestyle Medicine.

You hear about it, everyone. You see CBD and hemp shops all around town popping up on almost every corner in Texas. The confusion is even worse because of nomenclature.

This article's focus is on prescription products derived from cannabis sativa, which includes hemp and marijuana. These products can either have the psychoactive component called THC or have it at very low levels where it's virtually undetectable. Some products are derived from a combination of phytochemicals from cannabis called isolates where there is zero THC.

The medical use for all these is varied and can be controversial. The legal definitions of these products are vague at best especially in the state of Texas. However, there is great utility and science to them. I've been in the CBD and hemp space for a few years. I've been advising people to use CBD since about 2014 after coming across some initial animal trial data that looked promising. My patients were improving and I was even able to get some of my patients off of pain medicine at that time.

Fast forward a few more years and after speaking at conferences aimed at brain health disorders, I became the Chief Science and Safety Adviser of PrimeMyBody, a plant and hemp-based company. This company arranged a landmark pilot trial that ended up being featured in Forbes Magazine where NFL former players were given a brain-scanning device called Brain View which allowed us to see each player's brain signature and brain chemistry before and after giving a hemp-based product developed by PrimeMyBody. The results were incredible. It really opened my eyes to the possibility of improving brain health.

Being familiar with the use of CBD with little to zero THC, I wanted to explore the world of prescribing medical cannabis but was limited legally until 2019. Here is what happened. In the State of Texas, there were some recent big wins for the cannabis world. On the Department of Public services website are posted these two important acts:

Senate Bill 339 in 2015 requiring the Department of Public Safety to create a secure registry of physicians treating intractable epilepsy patients with low-THC cannabis. Ultimately In 2019, the 86th Texas Legislature expanded the program to include additional medical conditions and physician specialties (House Bill 3703).

This allows prescription of THC-containing cannabis products to be prescribed to those with qualifying conditions. I was approached shortly after the passing of House Bill 3703 by one of the few companies that are allowed by the State of Texas for dispensing THC-containing products, Compassionate Cultivation to share success stories of our patients and analyze many stories of their clients. 

It's obvious that medical cannabis is not only useful but life-changing for many people with chronic conditions that conventional pharmaceuticals and therapies have limited uses for. Here at Texas Center for Lifestyle Medicine, we use an evidence-based approach using advanced technologies such as the one featured in Forbes Magazine above to identify and prescribe specific dosing and types of CBD and THC-containing therapies to our patients.

I am glad to say our success stories have been phenomenal from those with cancer to those with dementia. Remember, not all cannabis is the same, and some even have opposite effects. Products also need to be third-party tested for toxins and contaminants and to also prove that what is in the bottle/gummy/edible is also what actually is in the product. It is crucial to work with doctors who are familiar with dosing to get the best results.

If you're in the state of Texas and you think you qualify, email us at admin@ruanmedicalgroup.com and we will gladly reach out to you.

Picture credit: from the Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation Website.