By Mason Mohon | @mohonofficial

In 2015, Texas passed the Compassionate Use Act, which allowed for the limited sale of CBD products for medical uses. CBD is a product of marijuana, and while it does not have the same psychoactive properties of THC, is has been used effectively in treating pain and epilepsy.

Such was the case for a six-year-old girl back in February. Cansortium Texas, a division of Florida-based Cansortium Holdings, delivered the treatment to a young girl who suffered from a rare form of epilepsy. The treatment was effective, showing just another instance of successful medical marijuana treatment.

The permitting legislation didn’t actually go into effect until February of 2018, but when it did numerous CBD products populated the shelves of various Texas stores. In turn, Officials with the Texas Department of State Health Services are warning business owners that this is not legal under state law.

They are now considering a proposal that would give inspectors authority to seize unauthorized sale of CBD in Texas stores. An agency spokesperson made the claim that they are just trying to comply with federal law.

One may think: At least the Compassionate Use Act is in place, and that’s helping enough, isn’t it?

The problem is that the CUA is not doing enough. It applies too much red tape to the world of health and keeps Texans from getting what they need.

Under the Compassionate Use program, Texans can only get access to CBD products for medical use when they have tried two other FDA-approved drugs that have proven ineffective. They also need to get recommended for CBD from an approved doctor. There are only twenty approved to recommend CBD in the state of Texas.

At the same time, only three dispensaries in the entire state have gotten approval for production of CBD products. Morris Denton, the CEO for the distributor Compassionate Cultivation, is not happy about the current laws surrounding the issue.

It’s troubling to me that a great percentage of Texans will no longer be able to achieve that benefit. If you are just taking a product away from people that has helped them, but not giving them a legal solution, then I think that is a step back.

The Compassionate Use Act is a move by the state government that is lacking in many ways. It forces sick people to endure an arduous process before they can try a drug that will probably be effective in their treatment. Texas (and Americans as a whole) have the right to try drugs that may help. It is not moral for the state government to get in the way of their potential healing.

If the Department of State Health Services gets its way, there will be less access to a product that will assist the health of many Texans. The proposal that would authorize the seizures of CBD products is both an assault on the property of business owners and the well-being of many Texans.

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