A proposed bipartisan bill in the Texas legislature could help medical cannabis providers avoid a significant hurdle to their business via the state’s Compassionate Use Program. In a session where Republicans and Democrats can’t agree on much, Senate Bill 1505 has already received sponsors from both parties.
The state began its CUP after passing the Compassionate Use Act in 2015. In the last decade, CUP legislation has expanded the diagnosis eligibility for the medicine, the patient’s age, and delivery methods. What started as a program for patients with rare seizure disorders has expanded to treating cancer patients, those suffering from PTSD, and other neurological disorders. In February 2024, the state reported more than 77,000 patients in the CUP. The state’s latest report reflects CUP patient numbers for February 2025 at more than 107,000, which is more than 38 percent growth in the last year.
The bill is meant to address some of the major challenges to the delivery of medical cannabis in the state. Sponsored by West Texas and Panhandle Republican Sen. Charles Perry and co-sponsored by El Paso and West Texas Democratic Sen. Cesar Blanco, HB 1505 seeks to allow medicinal cannabis to store its medications in secure locations throughout the state rather than be forced to drive any undelivered or extra medicines back to a central holding location for the entire state.
Right now, medical cannabis can only be stored overnight in one location in the state, which means that delivery drivers must crisscross the state, make deliveries, and return back to a central location every night. For Austin’s Texas Original, its drivers must make the long drive back to Central Texas from the farthest reaches of its delivery routes every night. SB 1505 would allow for satellite storage locations, an improvement for providers and patients alike.
“There’s a standing order with the Department of Public Safety where we can only carry our inventory at one location, which means we have to drive it all over the state in order to serve our patients, which has just been a nightmare operationally, and it’s been difficult for the patients,” says Nico Richardson, Texas Original CEO.
The move would decrease costs for businesses entering the market and allow patients more access to their medication. Rather than waiting for another delivery driver the next day to make it back for delivery if the patient is unavailable, a satellite location provides a more convenient option to access medication and is a cost reducer for the cannabis company. Richardson says storing the medicine is safer than putting it back in the car to drive back across Texas, and he wants the medicinal cannabis industry to be treated like other industries.
“No industry operates that way. Pharmaceuticals don’t operate that way. If a patient doesn’t pick up their antibiotic, pain medication, or opiate from CVS or Walgreens, they don’t have to send it back to Pfizer that day,” Richardson says.
SB 1505 was approved by the State Affairs Committee in the Texas Senate earlier this month and has been recommended by the full chamber. If successful there, a similar bill will have to be passed in the Texas House and signed by the Governor.
SB 1505 Highlights
In addition to SB 1505 addressing the overnight storage issue, the bill also allows the medicine to be taken via aerosol or vapor when necessary. This delivery system speeds up the effect of the drug, which is crucial for patients who are having a seizure or need immediate relief from an anxiety attack from PTSD. Right now, most medicinal cannabis products are delivered via tincture or edibles, which must travel through the digestive tract before taking effect.
“One of the main reasons we see a lot of people leave the program for hemp is because they can get hemp or Delta-8 vape pens and THCA vapes,” Richardson says. “The delivery mechanism is good for their condition, but the tested nature of what they are consuming is not.”
Another change to Texas’ Compassionate Use Program suggested by SB 1505 is to cap the medicine by active ingredient rather than percentage by weight. Focusing on the amount of THC in the drug rather than overall weight will reduce filler ingredients that can have unpleasant side effects. Again, Richardson wants his company to be able to store and compose medicinal cannabis like other controlled substances.
“That’s not how our doctors prescribe and it’s not how patients consume medicine in any in any capacity, whether it’s tea cup or traditional pharmaceutical,” Richardson says. “It’s always a volumetric approach, which is milligrams of active ingredient.
A bill analysis from the State Affairs committee notes that the bill asks the state to double the number of dispensing licenses from three to six, a move that will be supported by the bill’s other changes.
Given past legislative success and a rare bipartisan opportunity in the legislature, Richardson is optimistic about the bill’s chances. The two co-sponsors represent massive districts with significant rural populations, and a potentially streamlined and cheaper delivery system would be a boon for patients in those areas. “We have a lot of support for this program,” Richardsons says. “I think a lot of people understand the necessity to maintain well-regulated access to medical cannabis in the state.”
