Next week, there are three hearings scheduled to address cannabis policy in Texas. Below is information on each hearing, the bills and how you can submit written testimony.
Tuesday, April 6th at 1pm: The House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee will meet to consider a number of marijuana bills which aim to reduce penalties for possession. Click here to learn more about all bills up for consideration.
Submit written comments electronically to the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. These comments will be included in the official legislative record and are a great way for you to show your support. Comments can be as simple as, “I support this legislation. Thank you for your consideration and service!” (Please note that you will have up to 3000 characters.) You could also include a personal testimonial if you or a loved one have been impacted by prohibition. Remember to keep it concise and always be respectful when communicating with lawmakers.
Wednesday, April 7th at 8am: The House Public Health Committee will meet to consider HB 1535 which is authored by the Committee’s Chairwoman Klick. HB 1535 which would add Cancer, Chronic Pain, and PTSD for Veterans while allowing the Department of State Health Services to add new qualifying conditions through their administrative rule-making process. HB 1535 would also raise the THC cap to 5% and create “Institutional Review Boards” which will facilitate research and track the impact of medical cannabis on patients participating in the program. It is our understanding the Chairwoman may be open to removing the veteran requirement on PTSD. (Please note that we have heard that the author may be willing to remove the veteran requirement for PTSD.)
Submit written comments electronically to the Public Health Committee. You could also include a personal testimonial if you or a loved one have been impacted by medical cannabis. Remember to keep it concise and always be respectful when communicating with lawmakers.
Thursday, April 8th at 8am: The House Agriculture and Livestock Committee will meet to consider HB 3948 which would establish a hemp research program, address consumable hemp products and cleans up some language in the statute. Read the bill.
Submit written comments electronically to the Agriculture and Livestock Committee. These comments will be included in the official legislative record.
Provide written or in-person testimony if you have personal or professional experience. Testimony can be provided several ways: written and submitted electronically, written and delivered in-person (12 copies), or oral testimony submitted in-person on the day of the hearing (2 minutes). If you’re planning to testify in-person, please let us know so we can coordinate. In-person witness registration can be found here. Instructions related to public access to the meeting location and health and safety protocols for attending this meeting are available here. When visiting the Capitol, please always dress professionally.
A live video broadcast of these hearings will be available HERE.