Plutonium Slightly More Regulated than Cannabis in Texas

Regulations on cannabis in Texas are so severe that one lawmaker joked its more regulated than plutonium.

Medical marijuana exists in Texas, the reddest of red states, the homeland of Ted Cruz, Rick Perry, Steve Austin, and attitudes bigger than the average cowboy belt buckle. In 2015, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Texass own Compassionate Use Act, which allows people suffering from incurable epilepsy to access low-THC, high-CBD oils after receiving approval from two doctors. In other words, Texass medical-marijuana program doesnt offer much, and what little it does offer will be available to only a select few.

Even that tiny bone might not be thrown, if no marijuana producers willing to abide by the Texas-sized rules and regulations for the program can be found. And considering that Texas will only hand out three grow licenseswith a bill to the state of almost $500,000 due up front, cash needed to pay for a mandatory 24-hour security presence by Texas state troopersthats a serious concern. Theyre regulating it more than plutonium, for Gods sake, cannabis advocate Heather Fazio, of Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, told The Denver Posts Cannabist.

This is hyperbole, of courseif it were true, the worldwide marijuana trade would have to find a distribution method other than the U.S. mails, and commercial airline flights wouldnt be de-facto courier services. Thats also the point: This isnt fissionable material that America buys from Russia. Its weed. Its a plant that grows wild, even in Texas. The chemicals in the cupboard under your kitchen sink are more deadly, as authorities freely admiteven in Texas.

But it may as well be plutonium, or unicorn eggs, because the end result is the same: There isnt going to be any unless Texas relaxes its rules. To be one of the exclusive cannabis producers in one of the countrys biggest states sounds like a decent business opportunity. With those rules, even companies with deep-pocketed and patient investors are staying away. We could ...