Texas Medical Marijuana Card Guide (Compassionate Use Program): How It Works

Texas works differently from almost every other state, so it’s important to understand the basics up front. Texas runs the Compassionate Use Program (CUP), administered by the Department of Public Safety (DPS). It does not issue a medical marijuana card and does not require patients to register or pay a state fee. Instead, a qualified Texas physician enters a prescription for low-THC cannabis into the Compassionate Use Registry of Texas (CURT) — and that registry entry is your authorization. You then fill it at a licensed dispensary using your photo ID. “Low-THC cannabis” means products with no more than 10 milligrams of THC per dosage unit (and no more than 1 gram of THC per package). Recreational cannabis is illegal in Texas. This guide walks you through the whole process, including the 2025 HB 46 expansion.

What you need to participate in the Texas Compassionate Use Program

You’ll need just a few things:

Physician Prescription (entered into CURT) A qualified, CUP-registered Texas physician prescribes low-THC cannabis and enters your information into the Compassionate Use Registry. You will receive your prescription once approved by a Kif Doctors provider. Texas physicians don’t issue a written certificate or card — the registry entry is the credential.

Proof of Identity & Residency A valid photo ID. You must be a permanent resident of Texas. (There is no age restriction to participate, but minors have extra requirements — see below.)

There is no state application fee — your only cost is the physician evaluation and the products themselves.

Next steps after approval

Congratulations on getting your prescription!

Because Texas physicians enter your prescription directly into CURT, there’s no separate state application for you to file and no card to wait for. Here’s a guide on exactly what to do next.

Before you head to a dispensary, have these ready:

Your Kif Doctors prescription in CURT (entered by your qualified physician — the dispensary looks you up in the registry)

Proof of Identity (required)

• Valid government-issued photo ID matching your registry information

For a minor patient — the parent or legal guardian’s ID, the last five digits of their Social Security number, and the patient’s last name and date of birth (to look up the prescription)

Your prescription details — your physician sets your specific product, dosage, and amount in the registry

Getting Your Texas Low-THC Prescription

There’s no online state portal for patients and no card — the process runs through your physician and the registry.

1. Confirm you’re a Texas resident. Only permanent Texas residents may participate.
2. Consult a CUP-registered physician. Speak with a Kif Doctors provider — a qualified, Texas-licensed physician registered with the Compassionate Use Program. (You can also find participating physicians using the CUP search tool.)
3. Get evaluated. Your physician reviews your condition to determine whether you have a qualifying condition (see the list below).
4. Get your prescription entered into CURT. If you qualify, your physician enters your prescription and patient details into the Compassionate Use Registry of Texas. This is what authorizes your purchase — no card is issued.
5. Visit a licensed dispensary. Go to a licensed dispensing organization (or an approved satellite/pickup location) with your photo ID. The dispensary looks up your prescription in the registry and dispenses your low-THC product.

Please note: Under HB 46 (effective September 1, 2025), prescriptions are generally valid for one year with up to four 90-day refills, and approved product forms now include capsules, oils, tinctures, topicals/lotions, transdermal patches, suppositories, edibles, and approved non-smoked inhalation devices (vaporizers, inhalers, and nebulizers, when approved and directed by your doctor). Smoking raw flower remains prohibited.

How to renew your Texas low-THC prescription

It’s quick and easy to renew with Kif Doctors. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Sign in to your Kif Doctors account or register as a renewal patient.
2. Consult a CUP-registered Texas physician to be reassessed.
3. Your physician enters a new prescription (or authorizes refills) in the Compassionate Use Registry.
4. Continue filling your prescription at a licensed dispensary with your photo ID.

Because there’s no state card or registration, there’s no separate state renewal application or fee. A prescription is generally valid for one year with up to four 90-day refills, so you’ll reconnect with your physician when your prescription or refills run out.

Next steps after renewal

After your Kif Doctors physician updates your prescription in CURT, you’re set — there’s nothing further to file or pay.

Here’s what to keep in mind.

Renewing Your Texas Prescription

1. Complete a follow-up evaluation with your Kif Doctors physician.
2. Your physician confirms your continued eligibility and enters a renewed prescription (or refills) in CURT.
3. Fill your prescription at a licensed dispensary as usual.

Please note: Keep track of your prescription and refill status so your access isn’t interrupted, and reconnect with your physician before they run out.

Legal limitations for cardholders

Texas’s program began in 2015 with the Texas Compassionate-Use Act (SB 339), which initially allowed low-THC cannabis only for intractable epilepsy. The Legislature expanded it through HB 1535 (2021) and, most significantly, HB 46 (2025). The program is administered by the Department of Public Safety. Recreational cannabis is illegal in Texas.

The amount a patient may possess is determined by the physician’s prescription, and products are limited to low-THC cannabis (no more than 10 mg of THC per dosage unit, and no more than 1 gram of THC per package).

Under Texas law, patients with a low-THC prescription generally have the right to:

• Be prescribed low-THC cannabis for a qualifying condition — including epilepsy, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, spasticity, ALS, autism, cancer, incurable neurodegenerative diseases, and PTSD, plus the conditions added by HB 46: chronic pain (continuous or intermittent severe pain lasting more than 90 days), traumatic brain injury, Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases, terminal illness, and hospice/palliative care. (Veterans may qualify more broadly under HB 46.)
• Be protected from criminal prosecution for possessing low-THC cannabis that matches their prescription.
• Purchase approved forms, including capsules, oils, tinctures, topicals, patches, suppositories, edibles, and approved non-smoked inhalation devices.

However, a Texas low-THC prescription does not give you the right to:

• Use a caregiver to pick up your medicine — only the patient (or a minor patient’s legal guardian) has protection from criminal law for possessing low-THC cannabis.
• Grow cannabis at home — only state-regulated dispensing organizations may cultivate.
• Smoke cannabis or use raw flower — smoking remains prohibited.
• Possess products above the legal THC limits, or more than your prescription allows.
• Use or possess cannabis at your place of employment without recourse — Texas provides limited protections, and employers may enforce drug-free workplace policies; HB 46 includes no protections from CPS investigations or custody disputes.
• Work, live, or learn somewhere that could lose a monetary or licensing benefit under federal law due to your participation. Some federal jobs and positions requiring a commercial driver’s license may conflict with federal law.
• Sell or distribute low-THC cannabis to others.
• Drive or operate a vehicle while impaired.
• Own a firearm — federal law prohibits possession of firearms by individuals who use marijuana, including participants in the Compassionate Use Program.

Texas maintains a defined list of qualifying conditions; physicians may petition the state to add conditions supported by peer-reviewed evidence. Participation creates a confidential state registry record (exempt from public disclosure), and insurance does not cover low-THC cannabis.

Can a caregiver pick up medicine in Texas?

No. Texas does not authorize caregivers for adult patients. Only the patient for whom a prescription was issued — and a minor patient’s legal guardian — is protected from the criminal laws prohibiting possession of low-THC cannabis. This is one of the most significant differences between Texas and most other states.

Minor patient information

Minors may participate in the Compassionate Use Program. To qualify, a second physician — also qualified to prescribe low-THC cannabis — must concur that the benefit to the patient outweighs the risk. A parent or legal guardian must be involved, and when filling the prescription, the guardian provides their ID, the last five digits of their Social Security number, and the patient’s last name and date of birth so the dispensary can locate the prescription in the registry.

Can I use my Texas prescription in other states — or an out-of-state card in Texas?

Texas’s Compassionate Use Program is for permanent Texas residents, and the state does not operate a visiting-patient or reciprocity system for out-of-state medical cards. Because recreational cannabis is illegal in Texas, there is no adult-use option for visitors.

If you participate in the Texas program and travel elsewhere, keep in mind that Texas issues a prescription rather than a card, which most other states’ dispensaries will not recognize. Reciprocity rules vary widely by state and dispensary, and many states require a separate visiting-patient application.

Reciprocity policies change frequently, so always confirm a state’s current rules before you travel — and never transport cannabis across state lines, as that remains illegal under federal law.