AUSTIN, Texas — Nine new businesses have been granted conditional cannabis dispensary licenses as Texas expands its Compassionate Use Program for medical marijuana.

The new companies include Central Texas-based Lone Star Bioscience.

The Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP) allows doctors in the state to prescribe low-dose THC cannabis for medical use.

It was expanded this year with Texas House Bill 46, allowing for more dispensing licenses and adding to the list of qualifying conditions. The expansion also lets licensed dispensing organizations open more satellite locations, saving patients time and energy.

As part of Phase I of the expansion, the new TCUP licenses will go these businesses, who will be subject to additional due diligence screenings by Texas DPS:

• Verano Texas (Public Health Region 10, West Texas)
• Trulieve TX (Public Health Region 1, Texas Panhandle)
• Texas Patient Access (Public Health Region 3, North Texas)
• Lonestar Compassionate Care Group (Public Health Region 3, North Texas)
• Lone Star Bioscience (Public Health Region 8, Central Texas)
• PC TX OPCO LLC dba PharmaCann (Public Health Region 6, southeast Texas)
• Texa OP, dba TexaRx (Public Health Region 11, South Texas)
• Story of Texas (Public Health Region 6, southeast Texas)
• Dilatso (Public Health Region 2, North Texas)

The conditional licenses do not allow the companies to cultivate, manufacture, distribute or sell cannabis products until final approval by DPS.

A total of 12 new TCUP licenses will be given over a two-phased selection period. DPS said three additional conditional licensees will be announced in Phase II by April 1, 2026. You can learn more about the application and selection process on the DPS website.