Texas regulators have finalized a new set of rules that expands the state’s medical marijuana program, giving physicians a path to request new qualifying conditions and establishing guidelines for inhalation devices.
The Department of State Health Services posted the completed rules in the Texas Register after reviewing public feedback on changes tied to legislation approved earlier this year.
Under the update, doctors can now formally ask the agency to add medical conditions they believe should qualify patients for low-THC marijuana. Once submitted, DSHS must send those requests to the Department of Public Safety, which then forwards them to state lawmakers for consideration when the legislature reconvenes.
State officials said this mechanism—allowing doctors to petition for additional qualifying conditions—remained unchanged from the draft version released before the comment period.
A separate portion of the rule package deals with inhalation devices. Regulators made modest adjustments in response to public input, including clarifying that physicians may recommend low-THC vapes but are not obligated to do so.
The final rule also establishes a process for dispensing organizations to ask DSHS to approve additional inhalation devices.
While the agency is not setting technical safety standards, any request to add a device must include an attestation that it is safe and effective before it can be prescribed to patients.
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