YouTube video

In 2015, Texas passed the Compassionate Use Act, legalizing the sale of a specific type of cannabis oil for epilepsy patients whose symptoms have not responded to federally approved medication.

The first Texas dispensaries are now opening and selling their products to eligible patients across the state. But Texans who are interested in pursuing the so-called CBD oil treatment say there are several obstacles to getting the medicine.

There’s roughly 30 doctors across the state eligible to prescribe the medicine. Also, CBD oil is still federally illegal, so people have to pay out of pocket to secure it. And there are only three Texas dispensaries who can sell the medicine — two in Austin and one in Schulenburg.

In this video documentary, The Texas Tribune followed two families as they began their journey in pursuing medical cannabis treatment.

 Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.

Alex Samuels was a reporter for The Texas Tribune from 2017 to 2021. She helped with national campaign coverage, wrote stories about the intersection of race and politics in Texas, and covered the hottest...

Todd Wiseman was the senior editor for video and multimedia at The Texas Tribune, where he worked from 2010 to 2023. Todd previously worked at the Austin School of Film and Synthetic Pictures and interned...