Texas is poised to license more low-THC dispensaries

Texas is poised to expand the scope of its extremely restrictive medical marijuana program from just three dispensaries to an as yet undetermined number, but the state is maintaining its ban on wholesome cannabis.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said in a press release Monday that it is now accepting applications for additional pharmacies and the application window will remain open until April 28. More information on the selection process will be provided “under a at a later date,” the agency said.

“The department will issue only the number of licenses required to ensure adequate nationwide access to, and availability of, low-THC cannabis for patients enrolled in the compassionate use registry are,” the agency said in its press release.

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According to The Dallas Morning News, the head of DPS’ regulatory services division, Wayne Mueller, said last month that a decision on licensee recipients would most likely be made by June or July of this year.

The three pharmacies currently in operation are all located in central Texas, with two in Austin and a third in Schulenberg.

RELATED: Weed ban still official Texas GOP stance as marijuana’s popularity grows among residents

Under Texas law, only cannabis products containing 0.5% THC by weight are legal, and there are only eight qualifying medical conditions that make Texas patients eligible for MMJ.

As a result, there are only about 8,000 “active” medical cannabis patients in the state, leading some industry insiders in Texas to worry the customer base is still too small to support additional dispensaries, The Dallas Morning News reported.

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“We believe it will be closer to 100,000 patients overall before we have to initiate another process to acquire new licenses,” said Nico Richardson, acting CEO of Compassionate Cultivation in Texas.

RELATED: Texas official urges state legislature to put aside policy differences and expand cannabis program

There’s a new push in the Texas Legislature to legalize full-potency medicinal marijuana by Democratic Senator Jose Menendez of San Antonio, but it’s unclear what the political chances of the bill are.