Eddie Lucio’s Bill Pushing Medical Marijuana Coverage for State Employees, Killed by a Republican Majority

HB 4307 authored by Eddie Lucio and co-authored by Representatives Ryan Guillen and Eddie Morales –both democrats- was killed on the local and consent calendar last Saturday following the decision of 5 republicans to oppose the bill.

The bill intended to amend the Insurance Code in order to expand medical marijuana coverage for state employees.

The amended legislation would have provided coverage and regulated prescriptions for low-THC cannabis for participants under Chapter 169 of the Occupations Code, also known as Compassionate Use.

Besides his recent efforts to provide healthcare through low-THC cannabis for state employees, Lucio has been vocal in the fight to guarantee overall access to medical marijuana and had also been pushing to include PTSD within the list of medical conditions protected by Texas’ medical marijuana program.  

“This is an issue that cuts across traditional partisan and stakeholder lines…and the language states limited to PTSD,” said Lucio in March, when he hoped the limited scope of the bill would allow bipartisan support.