Manchaca, TX- On Thursday, Texas’ first medical marijuana dispensary, Compassionate Cultivation, is expected to open its doors. But will any patients be waiting outside when they do?
Access to medical marijuana in Texas is severely restricted. In fact, the drug is only approved for patients suffering from epilepsy. Depending on where you live in The Lone Star State, access could be a long trip away. Only 17 physicians are currently registered to prescribe medical marijuana in the entire state.
Even if a patient lives near a registered physician and has epilepsy, they may not be guaranteed a prescription. Before qualifying for medical marijuana, patients must have tried two FDA-approved drugs and found them to be ineffective.
A six-year-old girl became the first to access a legal dose of medical marijuana under the new system. The girl’s family received their medication from Knox Medical, the first company to receive its license to distribute medical marijuana in Texas. The particular strain of marijuana provided was low in THC and high in CBD. THC is known to provide the psychedelic effects associated with marijuana, while CBD is known for its medicinal benefits without producing a buzz. Knox is also expected to open its doors soon.
“For Texans suffering from intractable epilepsy, the wait for medical cannabis is finally over,” José Hidalgo, the founder, and CEO of Knox Medical told the Texas Tribune. “This is a historic day for Texas.”
Although medical marijuana may be off to a slow start in Texas, Compassionate Cultivation feels that this is a big moment.
“Compassionate Cultivation is proud to be the very first licensee to open a medical cannabis dispensary in the state of Texas,” CEO Morris Denton said in a statement. “Our company is dedicated to reducing the suffering of qualifying patients in the Lone Star State, and we are thrilled to offer the highest-quality medical cannabis products, with plants grown and refined by our cultivation and engineering experts at our state-of-the-art facility.”
Compassionate Cultivation dispensary will operate every Thursday through Saturday, from 10 a.m to 7 p.m. and by appointment. Deliveries will be conducted Sunday through Tuesday of each week.
There are 29 other states that have legalized medical marijuana. Texas currently has the strictest rules for any medical marijuana program with only one qualifying condition being approved so far. Only marijuana products containing less than .5 percent THC and at least 10 percent CBD are permitted under the new program.
