A worker at Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation, one of Texas’ approved cannabis suppliers, harvests buds from marijuana plants. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation

Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation, or TXOG, one of only three suppliers for Texas’ medical marijuana program, has put San Antonio on its “short list” for a stand-alone dispensary, according to company officials.

Morris Denton, CEO of the Austin-based TXOG shared that assessment after the company last week announced it will open a Houston dispensary and noted that it’s also evaluating other potential locations.

“San Antonio is absolutely on our short list and we hope to have some news soon,” Denton said, responding to an email inquiry by the Current.

TXOG currently operates a dozen pick-up sites for patients enrolled in Texas’ medical cannabis registry, including locations in San Antonio, Dallas and El Paso. However, the Houston site is its first full-fledged dispensary outside of Austin.

Under Texas’ program, medical cannabis licensees are prohibited from storing inventory overnight in multiple locations, which means TXOG delivery drivers must  supply the Houston site daily and haul inventory back to Austin after operating hours. Presumably, the company would do the same in San Antonio.

Earlier this year, Texas was one of 13 U.S. states and territories to land a failing grade on national medical cannabis advocacy group Americans for Safe Access’ 2021 report card. Chief among the state’s demerits were restrictive rules that had so far limited it to just two retailers, both located in Austin.

“State legislators should address this critical lack of access,” the report noted. “For a state as large as Texas, two retailers in a single city won’t cover it, even with the registry as small as it is.”

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This article appears in Mar 9-22, 2022.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...