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According to a recent report by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), further actions should be taken by the state to increase accessibility to medical cannabis. The report focuses on Texas’ Compassionate Use Program (CUP), analyzing its effectiveness in providing patients across the state with reasonable access to treatment.
The findings highlight that Texas’ vast size creates specific challenges for both dispensaries and patients. According to Goodblend senior director of government relations, Jervonne Singletary, the main problem dispensaries encounter is logistics. Everything must be obtained from the pickup location, which functions as a retail location, and any unsold or uncollected items must be returned to the main hub in Austin, Texas, at the end of the day.
In the newly released 70-page DPS report, a third-party assessment was conducted to evaluate the CUP and suggest improvements. One of the most important findings in the report is the need for better access to medical cannabis for patients across Texas.
Nico Richardson, CEO of Texas Original, also underlined the necessity of tightening rules, saying, “Before thinking about expanding the number of new licenses, you need to address the regulatory framework of the current system. Overreliance on a small number of operators is unsustainable.” When CUP debuted in 2015, Texas Original was one of the first three businesses granted a license to conduct business in the state.
Richardson cautions against assuming that the issue would be resolved by merely allowing more dispensaries, particularly in underprivileged areas throughout the state. He makes the point that adding additional operators without changing the regulatory framework would make it harder for companies to survive, especially in smaller areas, and ultimately would not increase access.
Another significant issue raised in the report is the growing trend of patients turning to the hemp market for alternatives, such as delta 8 products. These products remain largely unregulated in Texas, which creates potential risks for consumers. Singletary believes this is an unintended consequence of current regulations, noting, “I don’t think the Texas legislature meant to create this situation with such easy access to hemp products.”
The unregulated hemp market has raised concerns among licensed dispensaries, as Richardson points out: “We’re regulated as if we’re handling hazardous materials like enriched plutonium, and it’s no longer reasonable.” He, along with other operators, believes that Texas needs to rethink its regulations to ensure the program can adequately serve patients.
As of now, more than 66,000 patients have enrolled in the program since its inception. However, the DPS report clarifies that this number doesn’t necessarily reflect active participants.
The data indicating that patients in Texas have limited access to medical marijuana products is likely saddening to industry actors such as Curaleaf Holdings Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) which believe that patients who want to try medical cannabis products in jurisdictions where enabling laws exist shouldn’t unduly be limited from accessing products legally.
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