Dave Walden, wearing a Veterans of Foreign Wars cap, demonstrates how the CBD vending machine works by purchasing a product in Leander on Nov. 1., The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Most states, including Texas, legalized hemp production following federal changes in 2018 that removed the plant from the list of illegal controlled substances. The hemp plant has a lower amount of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, than the marijuana plant. THC is the chemical that produces the drug’s “high.”
The program was established in 2015 for patients with severe epilepsy. As of October, 36,651 Texans were enrolled in the program. Less than half were active patients receiving regular care and medication through the program.Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune “Hemp-based products are legal, effective and affordable,” said Mitch Fuller, the national and state legislative chair for the Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars.