Cannabis may be legal in Texas, but the state has some of the strictest regulations on it. Thankfully, the Compassionate Use Program allows people suffering from over 200 conditions to use medical cannabis in Texas. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to get medical marijuana in the Lone Star State:
Patients who have a qualifying condition have to consult a doctor for a cannabis prescription. The doctor must be registered in the Compassionate Use Registry of Texas (CURT). Patients need to meet the following criteria to qualify:
Once you’ve determined that you might be eligible for medical cannabis, the next step is to get an evaluation from a qualified doctor. This is not as easy as many people assume. The evaluation has to be performed by a physician registered with the CURT. They must also have the specialty to prescribe medical marijuana for your condition.
The Texas Compassionate Use Program also requires that medical cannabis be prescribed rather than recommended. This distinction is important because, as per federal law, it is illegal to prescribe Schedule I narcotics like cannabis. Thankfully, Texas 420 Doctors has done the work to navigate these regulatory restrictions, allowing us to uniquely provide services to patients eligible for cannabis.
Your first meeting will be with a qualified medical professional to determine whether you will benefit from medical marijuana. The physician must also confirm that these benefits outweigh the risks. The prescription will include recommendations for dosages, how the dosages will be administered, and how much medical cannabis is needed for your health needs.
The process of getting a medical marijuana card in Texas begins with this short form to book an appointment with a qualified physician at Texas 420 Doctors.
If your doctor agrees that cannabis would benefit you and provides you with a prescription, they have to register you with CURT. You don’t need to apply for a separate medical marijuana card in Texas. You also don’t need a written certification. All valid cannabis dispensaries will be able to validate your prescription using the CURT register. There are no fees required to be registered in the Compassionate Use Registry.
While many other states regulate medical marijuana through the use of IDs issued by the state, Texas doesn’t provide physical medical marijuana cards. After your doctor adds your profile to the CURT system, you’ll receive a Letter of Approval that will legally protect your right to possess medical cannabis within the state of Texas.
Even with an increasing demand for medical cannabis in Texas, there aren’t many places where it is grown and cultivated. You can fill your prescription at your preferred dispensary and start your treatment plan.
In considering how to get medical marijuana legally in Texas, it’s worth noting that there are restrictions on the type and potency of marijuana you can purchase. Texas law only allows patients to take low-THC cannabis prescriptions. It must have at least 10% cannabidiol (CBD) and no more than 0.5% THC.
With a doctor’s prescription, you can order your medication from your preferred dispensary and begin your treatment plan. Today, most cannabis dispensaries offer fast deliveries in discreet packaging.
Ensure that you follow up to improve your cannabis treatment plan and continuously receive expert medical advice. This will go a long way in maximizing the results of using cannabis for your medical condition.
You must have one of the qualifying conditions to receive a prescription for medical marijuana in Texas. Some of the common qualifying conditions for medical cannabis include:
If one of these describes you—or you have questions—you can book an appointment with Texas 420 Doctors. We are a fully licensed and certified medical marijuana provider. Our professionals are CURT registered and provide superior patient care. Schedule an appointment today to find out if you qualify and to learn more about medical cannabis.
Sources
If you have a qualifying condition for medical marijuana in Texas, your prescribing physician can register you for CURT, which is short for Compassionate Use Registry of Texas. Patients must be registered with the CURT system to obtain prescriptions for their legal medical cannabis in Texas.
Medical marijuana in Texas is limited to low-dose THC. To be considered “low,” medicinal marijuana should contain no more than 1% THC by weight. Research suggests that this is enough to achieve the desired health effect for relief from various health symptoms. Low-THC cannabis comes from all parts of the plant known as Cannabis sativa. A Texas medical marijuana prescription allows residents to purchase cannabis in Texas, but only in forms that can be swallowed. Smoking cannabis hasn't been legalized by the state.
Low THC has also been garnering attention for the many benefits it provides, mainly focused on the therapeutic value for consumers. It has little to no psychoactive effects, which helps those who are worried about becoming ‘high’ while using medical marijuana in Texas. As mentioned before, what is considered low-dose THC can differ in each state. While Texas allows 1% THC by weight, in Florida, it is only 0.8% THC by weight.
Generally speaking, of course, cannabis has been used since prehistoric times. Long before medical marijuana in Texas became legal, there’s evidence that people living on the Oki Islands near Japan during 8000 BC may have been using the plant. However, cannabis is actually native to Central Asia and parts of India. It spread both east and west so that by 3000 BC it was well-known to many cultures of the ancient world. Today, cannabis is used both medicinally and recreationally in many parts of the world, but battles for legalization continue. Texas is still regarded as a strictly regulated state with a limited allowance of the drug, but arguments continue as more research is uncovered detailing the positive medicinal effects of cannabis.
The most common reason that doctors issue a prescription for medical marijuana in Texas and the United States is to treat pain. Many of the conditions listed above are associated with chronic pain. Although cannabis isn’t powerful enough to treat severe pain such as that associated with a broken bone, it can reduce chronic pain, allowing patients to experience relief for an improved quality of life.
Many physicians have been part of the lobby to further liberalize the qualifying conditions for medical marijuana in Texas and elsewhere because it is a safer alternative for pain treatment than opioids like Hydrocodone or Fentanyl. Of course, opioids are effective for treating severe pain, but for chronic, lingering pain, many doctors like having the option to prescribe low-THC cannabis to reduce their patient's discomfort. Medical cannabis in Texas has far less potential to become addictive than opioids and virtually no association with overdose.
Many patients who might benefit by taking NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, for pain reduction may not be able to take over-the-counter pain relievers because of kidney problems or certain digestive tract issues. For these cases, Texas offers medical marijuana as a safer alternative.
Medical researchers have found that medical cannabis is particularly effective for treating pain associated with conditions such as multiple sclerosis and conditions that involve nerve pain. Unfortunately, drugs that have currently been prescribed to treat these forms of pain can cause severe drowsiness. Patients who take medical cannabis for nerve pain have reported feeling reduced levels of pain without experiencing increased fatigue. They also report that they are able to resume many of their previous activities. These findings have supported the prescription of medical marijuana in Texas.
Patients who take medical marijuana for Parkinson’s disease report feeling less muscle pain and reduced tremors. Although endometriosis or fibromyalgia aren’t qualifying conditions in the state of Texas, a medical marijuana prescription has been issued to patients with these conditions in other states in order to relieve the associated pain. In due time, when re-evaluation for these conditions happens, medical marijuana in Texas may become available for these individuals too.
Physicians in other states also prescribe medical cannabis to treat the weight loss and nausea that sometimes accompanies glaucoma treatments. Doctors also prescribe cannabis to treat patients with HIV who may be suffering from wasting syndrome or from pain associated with their condition in some way.
It’s not surprising that cannabis is a popular topic in the world of medical and scientific research. While cannabis in Texas is not exclusively researched comprehensively, there are many other states that are providing resources for such research to take place. In fact, there are many promising studies involving medical marijuana for the treatment of additional conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. The doors to research have been thrown open to scientists, according to news organizations such as NPR. It reports that “After more than 50 years, the federal government is lifting a roadblock to cannabis research that scientists and advocates say has hindered rigorous studies of the plant and possible drug development.”
Now that researchers can obtain marijuana and perform their studies using humans in their trials, they’re launching many exciting new research plans that may further affect the provision of medical marijuana cards in many states, including Texas. The government is allowing more companies to produce medical marijuana in Texas for use in studies and no longer blocking the efforts of researchers to obtain the drug for their study purposes.
According to scientists, there are literally “thousands of different cannabis varieties.” Their different compounds can have differing effects on health conditions. Patients who are interested in subsequent medical cannabis research will have little trouble locating it online. If you are someone who is interested in medical marijuana in Texas, the legal clauses surrounding it, and other studies about cannabis, reading through these studies may help:
These are just a few of the recent headlines regarding medical marijuana research. There are currently studies regarding medical cannabis being conducted all over the world, including, more increasingly, in the United States.
Since the initial passage of the Compassionate-Use Act in 2015, Texas legislators have expanded the law twice. It’s very likely that legislators may do so again in future years to provide easier access to medical marijuana in Texas. Expanded medical marijuana card use in Texas has many supporters. Texas has also garnered substantial criticism for its strict medical cannabis legislation and the cumbersome bureaucratic process to obtain a cannabis prescription, which critics believe has prevented many qualifying patients from getting the relief they need.
According to The Texas Tribune, Texas’s medical marijuana card program pales in overall participation and scope compared with other states. It has fewer enrolled patients and businesses than most other states with medical marijuana programs. 47 states nationwide have legalized medical marijuana in some form, but Texas’s restrictions put it in the bottom 11 in terms of accessibility. It shows that medical marijuana in Texas has a long way to go.
In fact, some Texas legislators have pointed to Oklahoma as an example of where the state should be headed in terms of prescribing practices. Oklahoma has 25 million fewer residents than Texas, but 100 times the number of registered patients who can access medical marijuana. Many groups that include physicians do not regard Texas as a “true” medical marijuana state because its program is so limited. As more research is published and increasing pressure is put on the state to increase the number of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana cards in Texas, we will likely see increased accessibility to medical cannabis.
A recent survey by the University of Houston and Texas Southern University shows that 67% of Texans are in favor of the sale and use of recreational cannabis. Despite public sentiment in favor of marijuana, medical marijuana in Texas still lags behind other states, but that can change with future amendments.
While cannabis in Texas still remains a complex issue, if you qualify for marijuana for medical purposes, seeing a CURT-registered physician is necessary.
