Texas Gov. Signs Cannabis Bill

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Senate bill 339 into law on June 1, 2015 that allows individuals who suffer from a drug resistant form of epilepsy to consume low doses of cannabis oil to reduce their seizures.

The Senate Bill 339 required that the Texas Department of Public Safety had to license at least three dispensing organizations by September 1, 2017; with the condition that at least that many patients have met the state’s requirements. According to the author of the bill, dispensaries need to function similar to compounding pharmacies. Only a neurologist or epileptologist has the authority to prescribe CBD oil.

Epilepsy Victims have Hope

The condition called intractable epilepsy affects one-third of all individuals suffering with epilepsy. There is currently no medication that completely cures intractable epilepsy and many patients have had little to absolutely no recovery with the currently approved drugs.

The prescribed medicines do not work well to control the seizures of the patients but the cannabis oil has proven some rate of success with this specific brain disorder. The oils containing cannabidiol that is a non-euphoric component of marijuana extract shows promise in treating intractable epilepsy.


Intractable epilepsy plagues an estimated 149,000 people in Texas, especially children, and agonizing patients can suffer hundreds of seizures per week. The signing of the bill now provides hope and healing for patients that are afflicted by painful and pernicious seizures caused by epilepsy.


The new approved medication will be a regulated substance that the state dispenses to epilepsy patients who have not reciprocated positively to existing federally approved prescription medications. Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol is the compound extracted from the plants in a low-dose form to help control intractable epilepsy without giving a kick of the drug to the patients.

The Governor Knows What's Best

Reports indicate that the new Texas Compassionate Use Act that allows the use of medicinal CBD has the potential to help thousands of people currently suffering from epilepsy.