Texas is prepping to license people to grow, sell marijuana. Here are 10 things you need to know

Scroll through the slideshow for 10 quick facts about Texas' new cannabis oil law. Scroll through the slideshow for 10 quick facts about Texas' new cannabis oil law. Image 1 of / 60 Caption Close Texas is prepping to license people to grow, sell marijuana. Here are 10 things you need to know 1 / 60 Back to Gallery

Legal marijuana is coming to Texas. With a catch.

The state will soon license dispensaries to sell low-THC cannabis products such as CBD oil for people diagnosed with intractable epilepsy, who suffer from seizures not controlled by traditional drugs.

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Administrative rules approved by the state's Public Safety Commission in December intended to regulate the Compassionate Use Program took effect on Jan. 10, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law in June.

But, the state is still about a year from full implementation of the law: the Department of Public Safety is currently looking for Texas Department of Information Resources vendors to develop the the framework for Compassionate Use Program's registry of physicians and dispensaries to prescribe and distribute low-THC cannabis products.

The state will issue the vendor contract in June, according to DPS. Work on the registry will begin in July.

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The department won't take licensing applications from potential dispensaries until after that registry's framework has been completed.

Then, DPS will license the first dispensing organization in June 2017.

Currently, 23 states along with Guam and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana and cannabis programs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

After Abbott signed the state's new cannabis oil law, 17 states now approve of using low-THC cannabis oil, the group notes.

Smoking marijuana for medical and recreational purposes remains illegal in Texas, but a bill to fully legalize adult use of marijuana made it out of the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence in May.

However, the bill never came up for a vote on the House floor.

Scroll through the above slideshow for 10 quick facts you need to know about the new law.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports