Honorable Senfronia Thompson, Chair, House Committee on Public Health
FROM:
John McGeady, Assistant Director Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB4097 by Blanco (Relating to the use of medical cannabis by veterans for post-traumatic stress disorder and the licensing of associated cultivating or dispensing organizations; authorizing fees.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined at this time. The amount of fees to be set by the Health and Human Services Commission and the prospective number of license applicants are both unknown, however the bill would require fees to be set at a level that covers the cost of administration and enforcement of the bill's provisions.
The bill would allow veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder to purchase medical cannabis from a cultivating or dispensing facility if the veteran has been issued a purchaser permit by the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). A cultivating or dispensing facility would be required to hold a license from HHSC. HHSC would be required to develop rules and set safety standards for medical cannabis in consultation with the Department of Agriculture. HHSC would set application and license fees in amounts sufficient to cover the cost of administering and enforcing the bill's provisions.
The bill would require cultivation or dispensing organizations to partner with a health system, a public university, or a registered clinical research organization to conduct continual research into the risks and benefits of medical cannabis as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Comptroller of Public Accounts indicates that because fee amounts to be set by HHSC and the prospective number of applicants are unknown, the revenue implications of the bill cannot be determined.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 405 Department of Public Safety, 503 Texas Medical Board, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 551 Department of Agriculture