FAQs - Texas Medical Marijuana Card

No. There is nothing like a medical marijuana card in Texas. It is the CUP licensed physician who enters the details of the prescription directly into the database called Compassionate Use Registry of Texas (CURT). The individual visits a licensed dispensing facility and shows their ID to the authorities there.

The Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP), run by the Texas Department of Public Safety, is an intensive low-THC cannabis program that came into existence in 2015.

Conditions qualifying before September 1, 2025, include epilepsy, seizures, ALS, autism, PTSD, cancer, multiple sclerosis, spasticity, incurable neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, degenerative disc disease, terminal illness, and chronic pain of more than 90 days. The recent enactment of HB 46 by Governor Abbott in June 2025 has increased this list considerably.

Anxiety is not considered a qualifying condition for medical marijuana. In case the patient suffers from anxiety because of PTSD, then he/she is eligible to receive medical marijuana since PTSD is a qualifying condition.

You need to identify a CURT doctor who is an expert in that field (one can use the search physician function of the DPS website). Once that is done, the prescription will be directly uploaded to the CURT database through your doctor. Eventually, you get the drug from any pharmacy in Texas with your government identification.

Yes, it is possible to assess the telemedicine system that allows the patient to consult a registered CURT physician at their place of residence. There are several services that are specialized on CUP certificates; consultation starts from $45-$299 per session.

There are no state registration fees. The main expenses include consultation fees from physicians starting from $45-$299 per session for the first visit and $100 for the next ones. Product cost varies depending on the dispensary; the cost of gummies is approximately $30, the tincture is approximately $45, and the others are comparable to the price of the product at medical dispensaries in other states.

After your physician inputs all information into the CURT system, you need to wait a few days before going to the dispensary organization. The whole process is physician-dependent, i.e., the time required to get the certificate depends on the evaluation schedule.

Information about the patient, diagnosis, and prescription details is provided to CURT directly by the CUP-certified doctors. The CURT refers to the Compassionate Use Registry of Texas, which is managed by the DPS. CURT can be accessed by the licensed dispensing organization and law enforcement in order to verify the eligibility of the patients.

Yes. CUP certification is valid for one year or 365 days. The patients should be able to consult the CURT-certified physician prior to expiration of the prescription.

Only the DOs can dispense the low-THC cannabis under HB 46 in Texas. This law has increased the total number of dispensaries from 3 to 15, and also includes the satellite dispensaries. From 2025 onwards, the applications for the dispensary will be received by DPS until 15th September 2025 and beyond 2026.

The legal products are edibles, tinctures, topical creams, liquid, capsule, lozenge, and starting from September 1, 2025, lotion, transdermal patch, suppository, and any approved inhalation product, including nebulizer, vaporizer, and inhaler prescribed by the doctor. The limit for THC is 10 mg THC per unit and 1,000 mg THC per packaging.

No. Taking into consideration all the amendments in HB 46, smoking the cannabis flower is illegal in Texas. Only other products are legalized, such as edibles, tinctures, topicals, and non-smoke inhalation products, including vaporizers, nebulizers, and inhalers – all these are approved by the prescribing physician.

No. There is no caregiver program under TCUP. Only the registered patient and his/her parent/guardian are protected while transporting low-THC cannabis. There are no provisions for the caregivers, and any other person may face criminal liability while transporting the prescription.

Yes. There are no restrictions on minimum age through TCUP. However, for individuals below the age of majority, the requirement of the presence of a parent/guardian while registering with CURT as well as at the dispensary site, is a necessity. Prior to the passing of HB 46, the need for two doctors concurring upon the fact that the benefits outweigh the risks was a necessity, but now that need is gone.

Certainly not. The scheme of the Texas Compassionate Use Program applies to only those residents of Texas who have made Texas their permanent abode.

No. Texas does not accept any out-of-state medical marijuana cards. There are no reciprocity provisions between Texas and other states. Using cannabis without a TCUP authorization is illegal in Texas.

Nonetheless, the Texas Department of Public Safety made it clear that membership in CUP is not enough grounds to deny an individual a license to carry in Texas. Federal law 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3) prohibits people who use cannabis from possessing firearms. The CURT database can be relevant in federal firearm cases, according to the Fifth Circuit 2024 ruling in United States v. Connelly.

With the help of TCUP, Texans who qualify for the program will have the possibility to access regulated, lab-tested cannabis with low levels of THC that have no other legal uses than medical. Patient information that is available in the CURT database is strictly confidential and may be accessed only by doctors, the Department of Public Safety, and dispensaries. Expansion of TCUP via HB 46 in 2025 made more diseases and products eligible for cannabis treatment.