Is Medical Marijuana Covered by Health Insurance in Texas?
Is Medical Marijuana Covered by Insurance in Texas? Is the CURT program covered by medicare or medicaid?
Is Medical Marijuana Legal in Texas?
updated: November 28, 2022
Medical marijuana IS legal in the state of Texas. Medical cannabis was first legalized by the Texas legislature in 2015, under the Compassionate Use Act, which allowed for the prescription of low dose THC to treat “intractable epilepsy”.
This law expanded over the past several years to include coverage for several other qualifying conditions.
Low dose THC can now be prescribed to treat Epilepsy, Seizure Disorder, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), other forms of muscle spasticity, Autism Spectrum disorders, Dementia (Vascular, Alzheimers disease, Picks Disease, Lewy body Dementia), Parkinson’s Disease, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Degenerative Neuropathy (like Diabetic Neuropathy), and a long list of progressive neurodegenerative disorders.
Here is a list of these conditions that qualify for treatment with medical marijuana in Texas at this time:
What is Low Dose THC?
Low dose THC is a medical marijuana product that is restricted by weight and concentration to below 5% THC. This means that in Texas, the most common form of medical marijuana is sold as a tincture - an oil compound of two active ingredients: CBD and THC. Both of these ingredients are extracted from the cannabis plant. CBD is non-pschychogenic, meaning that it does not affect your ability to think or alter your emotional state. CBD is thought to have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in the body. This CBD works in conjunction with the THC, which is psycho-active, and can make people feel relaxed, sleepy, hungry, and less anxious. THC is also know to alleviate some types of pain that are less responsive to opiates. THC has bee show to be especially good at alleviating neuropathic pain. For seizure patients, THC works with the CBD to reduce seizure frequency and intensity for those seizure patients who respond well to it.
Other forms of low dose THC are coming on the market in Texas, including an oral spray for people who don’t like to take sublingual medication. Surterra is set to announce the release of a low dose THC lozenge for patents to use as an alternative to tinctures.
How Much THC is in a bottle of low dose THC tincture?
The answer depends on what the patient is prescribed. A typical formula comes in a 4:1 ratio of CBD:THC. A dropper full of this medicine (equivalent to 1 ml) contains 4 mg of THC and 16 mg of CBD. For people familiar with gummy bears or edible products available in legalized marijuana states, a gummy bear usually contains either 5 or 10 mg of THC.
A 30 ml bottle of 4:1 CBD:THC tincture contains a total of 120 mg THC.
What Else Should You Know about Medical Marijuana in Texas?
The first thing to know about medical marijuana is that the rules about what form it takes, how you are allowed to use it legally, and how you can actually get access to it varies across each state. This means that when you want to know the laws about marijuana, you need to look up the rules for the state where you live (or the state that you choose to visit).
This brings me to lesson number one: Marijuana is Federally Illegal. Period.
However, each state has the authority to designate its own cannabis laws, allowing for legal use within the states’ jurisdiction. Some states like Colorado, Washington, and California have made marijuana legal for recreational use. Other states have chosen to keep cannabis legalized for medical use, with access granted to qualifying patients who consult with certified doctors in the state. Once again, each state determines what medical conditions are legal for treatment with medical marijuana. Each state also determines if medical marijuana is accessed by a medical card or by written prescriptions. Finally, the route of administration is also dictated by state law - meaning some states allow for patients using medical marijuana to choose how they want take the dose - by vaping, smoking flowers, using edibles, or using sublingual tinctures.
Lesson number two: If You Want to Know About Legal Use of Marijuana, Read the Rules for Your State. It is easy to get lost in all of the different regulations. Here is are some links to look up the laws for Texas and other states:
https://weedmaps.com/learn/laws-and-regulations/
https://weedmaps.com/learn/laws-and-regulations/texas/
Here is a List of Conditions That Do Not Qualify for Treatment with Medical Marijuana in Texas:
At Compassionate Telemedicine, we want to promote awareness about the Medical Marijuana Program in Texas. We also want to encourage other people to get involved in changing the laws in our state, so that more people can have access to this medication.
Please use the link below to send a letter to your legislators, supporting your desire to see increased access to medical marijuana for people in need.
Urge your state legislators to support a compassionate medical marijuana program!
