Kids can get cannabis products, but many sick Texans can’t. What’s wrong here? | Opinion

Drive by any middle or high school in Texas and you will probably find a CBD shop or gas station nearby that offers products with supposedly legal levels of THC, the substance in marijuana that produces a high feeling.

This is by design. Purveyors of these products see our kids as their best potential customers, even though they endanger their health and put them in grave jeopardy of disciplinary actions, felony charges, enrollment in alternative schools and permanent marks on their record. And currently, there’s nothing stopping them from setting up shop next door to our schools.

Texas legalized hemp in 2019, and a market popped up in record time to sell products that mimic the effects of marijuana. These products, often marketed as harmless alternatives to marijuana such as Delta-8, are sold over the counter in neighborhood CBD or vape shops. They often contain higher levels of THC than advertised on the label, producing a high just like marijuana and leading to significant trouble for kids caught with them on campus.

Whether these items are legal is a matter of debate, but what’s clear is that the children of Texas are paying the price for the lack of market oversight.

These substances are falling into the hands and mouths of tiny Texans, toddlers and babies who should never have access to them. The Texas Poison Center Network reports that calls related to marijuana exposure have risen by nearly 7,000 since 2020. In 2022, there were 26,000 calls, with many linked to young children.

While cannabis serves as the foundation of these products, their legality hinges on the concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, they contain. Hemp, which is legal, is any product with less than 0.3% concentration of THC. Anything above this threshold is classified as marijuana and only legal in Texas when prescribed for certain medical conditions.

In recent years, the thinking surrounding medical cannabis has evolved significantly. States, including Texas, are taking action to improve healthcare outcomes and quality of life for those facing chronic illnesses such as cancer because, when administered under a doctor’s supervision, medical cannabis is safe and beneficial. Texas established the Compassionate Use Program in 2015, allowing physicians to prescribe medical-grade cannabis to people with one of a handful of chronic diseases and health challenges.

My experience has reinforced the importance of rigorous oversight and comprehensive regulations to ensure the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis treatments, and I have successfully advocated for the careful and thoughtful expansion of the Compassionate Use Program. We can and must do more to alleviate the suffering of Texans who can benefit from a medical cannabis prescription.

But many Texans with chronic health challenges do not qualify for a prescription yet and cannot access the program. Instead, they are turning to a market of unregulated cannabis products, particularly Delta-8 and similar derivatives, that are available next to no accountability. I am a staunch advocate for approving more medical conditions for compassionate use and increasing the available supply of medical cannabis if it discourages patients with conditions such as chronic pain from self-medicating with unregulated, untested products or seeking illegal marijuana on the streets.

We are at a pivotal moment in Texas, facing an emerging public healthcare crisis that demands immediate action. Texas must do a better job of overseeing the hemp and Delta-8 market, preventing sellers from peddling their products near schools and strictly limiting the amount of THC they can offer.

By passing legislation during a special session to restrict Delta-8 products and how they are sold, in addition to expanding the Compassionate Use Program for Texans with legitimate medical needs, we can strike a crucial balance between medical innovation and responsible governance. Let us rise to the occasion and protect our children while caring for patients in need.

This story was originally published September 23, 2023 at 5:21 AM.