Should parents’ rights to their children be impacted because they use medical marijuana or are employed in its testing and distribution? These are questions the Texas Legislature is currently grappling with in two recently proposed bills aimed at legalizing the use of medical marijuana in certain circumstances.

Texas is in the minority when it comes to legalized marijuana. In 1996, California was the first state to allow the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Now, nearly 70% of Americans live in a state or district where medical marijuana is legal, with 34 states authorizing its use (as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands). And over a dozen states and territories approved adult-use cannabis for recreational use.