SAN ANTONIO – Three dispensaries are waiting for approval to start growing and selling marijuana in Texas.

The Texas Compassionate Use Act legalized the use of cannabis oil in 2015 for epilepsy patients who didn’t respond to medications approved by the FDA.

“Let’s say that we get our final license on Sept. 1. Only after that point will we be able to start growing marijuana. Once we start growing, it’s going to take about four months before we’re ready to dispense medicine because of the extraction and testing process the plant has to go through after it’s been harvested,” CEO for Compassionate Cultivation Morris Denton said to the Texas Tribune.

The cannabis oils Texas law allows have a high concentration of cannabidiol (CBD), coupled with low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

What is Texas' existing medical marijuana law?

This combination allows for treatment of medical conditions without producing the “high” feeling associated with recreational marijuana use.

The Texas Department of Public Safety received 43 applications for dispensing organization licenses in March 2017.

Texas' 'Compassionate Use Act' too limiting, advocates say

Of those applications, only three dispensaries were approved for licensure: Cansortium Texas, Compassionate Cultivation and Surterra Texas.

“Those applicants would ensure reasonable statewide access to and availability of low-THC cannabis for patients registered in the compassionate-use registry as required by the Texas Compassionate Use Act,” DPS.texas.gov states.

If licensing is approved the companies could start growing marijuana as early as September, putting cannabis oil on the market by January.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ALEX SAMUELS of the Texas Tribune.

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