Update (1:13 p.m. Tuesday): The legislation officially passed a third reading and now the bill officially heads to Governor Greg Abbott's desk. The original story continues below.
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Medical marijuana could be legal in Texas, sort of.
The Texas House of Representatives voted 96 to 34 to approve the second reading of a Senate bill that would allow limited use of Cannabidiol oils, a marijuana derivative, Progress Texas said in a press release..
And the proposals authors are Republican! Crazy.
Maybe the times are a changin'?
Progress Texas Executive Deputy Ed Espinoza said the approval is historic.
He is right.
“Marijuana policy reform has made history in Texas! More than 20,000 people engaged in a serious conversation this year, and we are pleased to see strong support from a bipartisan majority," Espinoza said in a press release.
Heather Fazio, Texas political director for the Washington D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, told the San Antonio Current that while the bill is a step in the right direction, full-scale, whole plant, medicinal marijuana is what the Lone Star State needs.
The bill, crafted by Sen. Kevin Etlife and Rep. Stephanie Klick would legalize the Cannabidiol oils, which don't cause euphoria upon ingestion.
The oils have been shown to bring relief to people suffering from intractable epilepsy.
Now, all eyes are on Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The bill is on its way to his desk.
