To be a dick or not to be, that is the question, Gov Abbott… :popcorn:

http://marijuana.einnews.com/article/266372873/Kl5a8fQT1Tvp5jgn?continued=1

The fate of Texas’ first foray into accepting cannabis as medicine is now in the governor’s hands.

Senate Bill 339, dubbed the Compassionate Use Act, by its author Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, will go to the governor’s office for a signature. Gov. Greg Abbott has made it clear he would veto any legislation that decriminalized marijuana, including lower punishments for possession or outright legalization.

But Eltife and supporters like Marcy Bingham, of Troup, the mother of 8-year-old Jacob, who suffers from intractable seizures, are hopeful the breadth of his promise doesn’t include what they consider medicine.

“I really think it’s an important bill, and I think anyone who listens to these families’ stories understands how important it is,” Eltife said. “For many of them, it’s their last hope.”

Patients with intractable epilepsy have seen dramatic reductions in seizures through the use of CBD oil without exhibiting adverse reactions. Many Texas families have migrated to states such as Colorado to access the drug.

If the bill becomes law, it would regulate the growth and dispensation of cannabidiol (CBD) oil, which is extracted from the cannabis plant. The drug could be available for dispensing in 2017.

The bill requires the oil not contain more than 0.5 percent tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) and not less than 10 percent CBD by weight. This level of THC, the psychoactive component of the cannabis plant, is not sufficient to get the consumer high, even in large doses.

Eltife said he and the House companion bill’s author Rep. Stephanie Klick, R-Fort Worth, who is a registered nurse, have been communicating with the governor’s staff about the bill throughout the session.

“I think he will look at the merits of the bill,” Eltife said. “The governor’s staff is very well educated on the bill, and I hope to personally meet with him to discuss it before it hits his desk.”

The Texas Epilepsy Foundation supports the bills.

But others have opposed the bill, including the Texas Medical Association and the Texas Sheriff’s Association.

The medical association opposes the bill because of the lack of science-based research on cannabis oil. Its members would prefer the drug be tested, but some doctors who are members have said they should have the option to use any medicine they believe would benefit their patients.

The sheriff’s association has opposed any bill that includes legalization or decriminalization of cannabis.

Denton County Sheriff Will Travis, who testified in committee hearings against the CBD bill, did not return requests for comment. Travis had viewed the CBD bill as a foot in the door for outright legalization.

Jax Finkel, deputy director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Texas chapter, said the bill would only help a small portion of Texas’ epileptics but that any small steps forward mean the state isn’t completely blind to the positive medicinal use of the naturally occurring plant.

“As an organization, we look at it as Texas has officially recognized cannabis as medicine,” Ms. Finkel said. “That’s a big step forward. Other states will take notice of that.”

Ms. Finkel doesn’t buy the notion legalization is around the corner. She advocates for decriminalizing marijuana, because it is a half-billion dollar drain on law enforcement resources, from tying up police on the streets to putting people in jail for possession. She also believes suffering Texans, including veterans with PTSD, cancer patients and children with epilepsy and their doctors, should have access to medicinal cannabis.

“Texas wants to be a leader and an example,” she said. “It should be and focus on real crime like clearing home invasions and backlogged rape kits. It’s supposed to be this great center of medical research, and our children can’t access drugs they’re studying here.”

The bill’s language also may put Texas doctors at risk because it requires them to prescribe rather than recommend the drug. Marijuana is still classified as a Schedule 1 drug by the federal government, which means doctors could face sanctions and lose their ability to prescribe medicine.

The Binghams said SB 339 won’t keep them together in Texas unless the state allows them to possess and apply CBD oils from other states without prosecution. The 2017 licensing date is too far off, Mrs. Bingham said.

Jacob has been sick, with strep throat and now an inner ear infection, and sickness has triggered increased seizure activity.

“He’s seizing 15 to 20 times a day,” she said. “They’re usually at night, but he’s been seizing during the day, so we need to leave within the next month.”

Mrs. Bingham will travel with Jacob. Her husband, Dirk, and Jacob’s twin brother, Jarod, will stay behind.

She hopes the governor will view the overwhelming passage of SB 339 (26-5 in the Senate and 108 to 38 in the House) as the “will of the people” and sign the bill into law.

“It won’t be in time for us, but we’re so happy with legislators and Sen. Eltife for what they’ve done for families like us,” Mrs. Bingham said. “This is what we want.”

Freed da weed! :Smokey:

:weedspin :weedspin :weedspin