Texas Medical Marijuana: How Houston's Compassionate Use Program Works

Texas does not issue a medical marijuana card. Instead, the state operates a secure digital registry called CURT — the Compassionate Use Registry of Texas — that connects approved patients with licensed cannabis dispensaries. If your condition is on the state's qualifying list and a CURT-enrolled physician approves you, a licensed dispensary can verify your prescription and fill your order. Here is how it works, who qualifies, and where Houston patients go.

What Texas uses instead of a medical marijuana card

Texas has no physical ID card, paper certificate, or sticker for medical cannabis patients. CURT is a HIPAA-protected digital database managed by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). It records your active prescription, the prescribing physician, and the approved product type and dosage.

When you walk into a licensed Houston dispensary, staff verify your identity by checking your name, date of birth, and the last five digits of your Social Security Number against CURT. No card changes hands. Your prescription is live in the system on the same day the physician enters it.

Worth knowing: Your CURT record is not shared with employers, licensing boards, or the general public. The DPS, your prescribing physician, and dispensary pharmacists are the only parties with routine access.

Who qualifies? The full list of conditions

Texas limits the program to specific conditions listed in state law. As of September 2025 — after the legislature's most recent expansion under House Bill 46 — qualifying conditions include:

• Epilepsy and seizure disorders
• Multiple sclerosis and spasticity
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Incurable neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson's, Huntington's, and similar conditions typically qualify under this umbrella category)
• Cancer (all types)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Chronic pain — defined as continuous or intermittent severe pain lasting more than 90 days
• Crohn's disease and other inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Terminal illness
• Patients in hospice or receiving palliative care

I didn't know that: Chronic pain was added to the qualifying list only in September 2025. Before that expansion, pain was the most commonly cited reason patients sought access to the program — and couldn't qualify. In the year after the change, it accounted for the large majority of new patient enrollments statewide.

Recreational cannabis is not legal in Texas. Having a qualifying condition is necessary but not sufficient — the physician must make a professional judgment that cannabis is an appropriate treatment for your specific situation.

How the CURT registration process works

Getting into the program is a four-step process. There is no state application fee on the patient side — the physician handles the CURT registration on your behalf.

Step 1: Find a CURT-registered physician. Only physicians enrolled in CURT can issue Compassionate Use prescriptions. Only a small fraction of Texas's board-certified physicians are currently enrolled, so your regular primary care doctor may not be one of them. The DPS maintains a physician search tool at its CURT website. Most patients find the fastest path is a telemedicine service that specializes in cannabis evaluations — appointments typically take 10 to 15 minutes, and prescriptions post to CURT the same day.

Step 2: Complete the evaluation. The physician reviews your medical history, current medications, and documentation of your qualifying condition, then makes a professional judgment about whether cannabis is an appropriate treatment for you.

Step 3: Your prescription enters CURT. If approved, the physician enters the prescription directly into the registry. You receive confirmation — usually by email — the same day. Prescriptions are valid up to one year with refills.

Step 4: Visit a licensed dispensary. Bring a valid Texas-issued photo ID. The dispensary pharmacist confirms your CURT record and fills your order. No card is required.

What your prescription covers. Prescriptions specify product type and dosage in milligrams of THC. Under rules effective September 2025, products may contain up to 10 mg THC per dose and up to 1,000 mg total THC per package. Available formats include tinctures, edibles, capsules, topicals, vaporizers, and in some dispensaries, flower. Inhalation devices — vaporizers, nebulizers, and inhalers — were legalized under the 2025 expansion for the first time.

Licensed dispensing organizations serving Houston

Only operators licensed by the Texas DPS may legally dispense cannabis under the Compassionate Use Program. As of October 2026, three dispensing organizations have active locations serving the Houston area. Conditional licenses for new Houston-region operators were issued in December 2025, but none have yet opened to patients.

Texas Original

1714 Houston Ave, the Heights, Houston · texasoriginal.com · Tue–Sat 11 am–6 pm (check site for current hours)

Texas Original is the state's largest Compassionate Use dispensing organization by number of locations. Its Heights dispensary is the primary Houston pickup point, with partner pickup locations available in Conroe, Sugar Land, and The Woodlands as well. Statewide delivery ships from the Heights location. Products include tinctures, gummies, edibles, chocolates, beverages, concentrates, topicals, and vaporizers.

Veterans and first responders receive a 20% discount. Credit cards are not accepted — plan for debit, ACH, cash, or check. The Heights location is on Houston Avenue near the northern edge of the Heights neighborhood; street parking is available but can be limited on busy days.

goodblend Texas

9432 Katy Fwy, Suite 400, near Memorial City, Houston · tx.goodblend.com · Limited hours — check site before your visit

goodblend Texas (formerly Surterra Wellness) operates its Houston pickup from a partner medical clinic near Memorial City, with an additional pickup location in Katy at 2717 Commercial Center Blvd, Suite E200. The Houston location operates only a few days per week, so confirm current hours on the goodblend website before making the trip. Online orders submitted by 5 pm the prior day are available for next-day pickup. Products include tinctures, edibles, beverages, topicals, and vaporizers.

Fluent

2620 W Sam Houston Pkwy S, near the Energy Corridor, Houston · getfluent.com · Mon–Fri 9 am–4 pm (check site)

Fluent operates a full dispensary on the west side of Houston near the Energy Corridor. It carries a range of formats including vaporizers and oral products; check the official site for current product availability. Statewide home delivery is also available for patients who prefer to order remotely. Note: the domain fluentcannabis.com no longer works — use getfluent.com.

How we chose

These are the three dispensing organizations with an active Houston-area physical location as of October 2026. Texas DPS licensing is the threshold for inclusion — only state-licensed operators may legally dispense cannabis under the CUP. We confirmed each location was listed as open on its official website.

We did not include conditional license holders or operators not yet open to patients. Additional partner pickup locations affiliated with these three operators exist in suburban Houston; check each dispensary's website for the current full list, as arrangements change.

What is legal and what is not in Texas

Legal under the Texas Compassionate Use Program:

• Purchasing cannabis products from a licensed Texas dispensing organization with a valid CURT prescription
• Possessing and using products prescribed to you, in amounts consistent with your prescription
• Traveling within Texas with CUP products in original, labeled packaging

Not legal:

• Recreational cannabis — Texas has not legalized recreational use
• Using a medical marijuana card or patient authorization from another state in Texas (CURT is Texas-only; out-of-state authorization is not recognized)
• Purchasing more product than your CURT prescription specifies
• Buying cannabis from any source other than a licensed Texas dispensing organization
• High-THC products from unlicensed retailers — hemp-derived delta-8 and delta-9 products sold in convenience stores and smoke shops occupy a separate, legally contested space entirely outside the Compassionate Use Program

Crossing state lines with any cannabis products — including CUP-prescribed products — is a federal offense, regardless of the laws in either state.

Save this: your CUP checklist

• Confirm your condition is on the qualifying list above
• Gather documentation of your diagnosis (physician notes, lab results, or prior treatment history)
• Find a CURT-registered physician using the DPS physician search tool or a telemedicine cannabis evaluation service
• Complete your evaluation — plan for 10–15 minutes
• Wait for the prescription to enter CURT, typically the same day as your appointment
• Choose your Houston dispensary: Texas Original in the Heights, goodblend near Memorial City, or Fluent near the Energy Corridor
• Bring a valid Texas-issued photo ID to the dispensary
• Pay with debit, ACH, cash, or check — no credit cards accepted at any Houston dispensary as of October 2026

More Houston health resources

If you are researching Houston's medical landscape before or after a move, our best hospitals in Houston guide covers the Texas Medical Center and surrounding facilities. For those considering living near the Texas Medical Center, the neighborhood guide covers housing, transit, and nearby services.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Does Texas have a medical marijuana card?

No. Texas does not issue a physical medical marijuana card. Instead, the state uses the Compassionate Use Registry of Texas (CURT), a secure digital database managed by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Dispensaries verify patient authorization by checking identity against CURT — no card is involved.

What medical conditions qualify for cannabis in Texas?

As of September 2025, qualifying conditions include epilepsy, ALS, multiple sclerosis, autism, cancer, PTSD, peripheral neuropathy, incurable neurodegenerative diseases, chronic pain (lasting more than 90 days), Crohn's disease and other IBD, traumatic brain injury, terminal illness, and patients in hospice or palliative care. The full list is in Texas Occupations Code §169.003.

How do Houston patients get a medical cannabis prescription?

You must be evaluated by a physician who is registered in the CURT system. Fewer than 1% of Texas doctors are registered, so most patients use a telemedicine service that specializes in cannabis evaluations. If approved, the physician enters your prescription directly into CURT — typically the same day — and you can visit any licensed Texas dispensary with a valid photo ID.

Where can I buy medical cannabis in Houston?

Three dispensing organizations have Houston-area locations as of October 2026: Texas Original at 1714 Houston Ave in the Heights, goodblend Texas near Memorial City at 9432 Katy Fwy Suite 400 (limited hours — check before you go), and Fluent near the Energy Corridor at 2620 W Sam Houston Pkwy S. All three also offer statewide home delivery.

Can I use my out-of-state medical marijuana card in Texas?

No. Texas does not recognize medical marijuana cards or patient authorizations from other states. The Compassionate Use Registry of Texas (CURT) is a Texas-only system, and only patients with an active Texas CURT prescription can legally purchase cannabis from a Texas dispensing organization.

Is recreational marijuana legal in Texas?

No. Texas has not legalized recreational cannabis. Possession of cannabis outside the Compassionate Use Program remains illegal under Texas law. Only patients with a valid CURT prescription may legally purchase and possess cannabis products from a licensed dispensing organization.