Expand TCUP to Cover Depression, Anxiety, Chronic Pain, and ADHD

Support expanding the Texas Compassionate Use Program to include depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and ADHD as qualifying conditions. Texans suffering from these conditions deserve access to a treatment option that works — and right now, the law shuts them out for no good medical reason. HB 46 is a step in the right direction, but the qualifying conditions list still leaves too many patients behind. Chronic pain alone affects millions of Texans, and cannabis is a proven alternative to opioids. The Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Advisory Council has already recommended expanding TCUP, and the Senate passed a related bill unanimously in committee on March 13. The momentum is there. The Legislature needs to act on it. At minimum, let doctors make this call. Physicians should be able to prescribe low-THC cannabis to any patient they believe would benefit — not just those who fit a narrow list written by politicians. Texas roads and city services are underfunded, and a taxed, regulated cannabis market could change that. But if full legalization isn't on the table yet, expanding TCUP is the least this Legislature can do for sick Texans who are out of options.