On Wednesday, officials announced that Cansortium Texas would be the first company to receive a medical marijuana license issued by the state of Texas, after a scrutinizing review from the state Department of Public Safety.
Endorsed by the Texas Republican Party earlier this year, the GOP requested the Texas legislature update and modify the state’s 2015 Compassionate Use Act, allowing physicians to prescribe medical marijuana to qualified patients at their discretion, according to the GOP’s platform.
“Compassionate Use Act – We call upon the Texas Legislature to improve the 2015 Compassionate Use Act to allow doctors to determine the appropriate use of cannabis to prescribed patients.”
Legalized in the Lone Star State by the passage of the 2015 Act, the non-psychoactive CBD oil (cannabidiol) can now be legally prescribed to patients suffering from intractable forms of epilepsy.One down and two to go, the Texas Department of Public Safety is also reviewing applications from Compassionate Cultivation and Surterra Texas.
“The department has conditionally approved for licensure the top three scoring applicants. The department is moving forward with the onsite inspection of the facilities of the top three applicants to determine whether these three applicants will be issued dispensing organization licenses. Updates will be provided on the Compassionate Use Program website as the program develops.”
According to the Associated Press, the Florida-based company, Cansortium Holdings, paid approximately $490,000 for their license and will be required to pay another $320,000 to renew their license in two years. The fees are a prerequisite cost for any cannabis company looking to do business in the state of Texas.
While not whole-plant medical marijuana, the highly restricted CBD medicine will benefit countless patients in Texas suffering from debilitating seizure disorders and epilepsy.
credit:marijuana.com