The negativity towards cannabis really only started in the early 1900s. In 1906, Washington, D.C. began requiring prescriptions for cannabis drugs, and then in 1915, Texas became the originating spot of cannabis prohibition. Being that it was the Great Depression, all of the massive unemployment increased the fear and resentment towards Mexican immigrants — who were in the cultural practice of using cannabis as medicine — so the anger towards Mexicans was filtered into an anger towards cannabis. Prohibition had just been repealed and straight-laced bureaucrats needed a new enemy to fight, so alcohol was in and marijuana was out. By 1933, 29 states had criminalized cannabis, and by 1937 The Marihuana Tax Act was enacted effectively prohibiting cannabis at the federal level. Things peaked in 1970 under President Nixon with the enactment of The Controlled Substances Act when cannabis was determined to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, thereby prohibiting the use of cannabis for any purpose whatsoever.

Young people in the United States today would never believe it — what with cannabis products available all over the place and marijuana legalization sweeping the nation. Since 2012, 18 states have legalized marijuana for recreational use and 38 states have legalized medical marijuana. Texas cannabis laws make the complete removal of prohibition difficult if not darn near impossible as the Texas Constitution doesn’t allow for voter referendum. That means that any changes to the law are required to go through the lengthy legislative process. This makes the subject of cannabis and Texas quite a confusing one, leaving many people scratching their heads wondering, “Is cannabis legal in Texas?” The answer federally is still no. But with the signing of HB 1535 into law on June 15, 2021, by Gov. Abbott, as of Sept. 1, legislation did expand the medical conditions that allow for legal Texas cannabis use.

Previously, Texas cannabis laws only allowed the use of medicinal marijuana for PTSD sufferers who were veterans, but HB 1535 will expand the legalized list of conditions to include everyone suffering with PTSD and also include patients with all forms of cancer. The newly updated law will also allow Texas legalized cannabis for patients with epilepsy, seizure disorders, MS, ALS, spasticity, autism, incurable neurodegenerative diseases and medical conditions approved for research programs. This means that a lot more Texas residents who have been suffering will have access to the potential benefits of cannabis.