Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed a medical cannabis expansion bill (HB 46) into law, making Texas the 40th state to legalize cannabis for medical use.
The final version of HB46 includes several improvements to the Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP). Previously, TCUP was an extremely limited, restrictive, low-THC medical cannabis program that didn’t meet the Marijuana Policy Project’s standard to be considered a medical cannabis state.
“For too long, the existing Texas Compassionate Use Program has been severely limited, leaving countless Texans without the relief they desperately need. Texans have spoken, and their voices have been heard. HB 46 will expand access to medical cannabis, a relatively safe and effective treatment option that has long been sought by patients suffering from pain and several other serious medical conditions,” said Kevin Caldwell, Southeast Legislative Manager at the Marijuana Policy Project. – source
Pardons for Drug Offenses
As possession of cannabis has been decriminalized or legalized altogether in some states, there has been a movement to pardon people who were convicted of possession of small amounts of marijuana that would be legal today.
Understanding the Law
- Washington Gov. Inslee to pardon thousands convicted of marijuana possessionAs a result of the legalization of recreational marijuana use in Washington state, Governor Jay Inslee announced that he would pardon thousands of people convicted of minor drug offenses.
- San Francisco To Expunge Thousands Of Marijuana ConvictionsThe San Francisco District Attorney’s office plans to expunge approximately 9,000 marijuana possession convictions as recreational marijuana is now legal in California.
- Denver unveils new system for clearing marijuana convictionsThe city of Denver has established a program to help people eliminate low-level marijuana convictions from their criminal records.
- After marijuana legalization in Illinois, hundreds of thousands eligible to expunge previous marijuana criminal chargesRolled into the Illinois bill legalizing recreational marijuana was a provision that automatically expunged criminal convictions for possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana.
