Texas has no recreational or adult-use cannabis program, so no social-equity licensing exists in Dallas. The state's narrow Compassionate Use Program (CUP) licenses three dispensing organizations statewide with no equity preference. Dallas cannot create a local cannabis license while state prohibition stands.
Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 481 classifies marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance, with no recreational legalization framework. The Compassionate Use Program under H&S Code Chapter 487, administered by the Texas Department of Public Safety, licenses only three vertically integrated dispensing organizations to serve qualifying patients with low-THC cannabis. CUP applications use a competitive merit process with no social-equity weighting for Black, brown, prior-conviction, or low-income applicants. Dallas City Hall has no authority to create a parallel municipal cannabis license while state law preempts the field. Dallas voters approved a marijuana decriminalization charter amendment in 2024 (Proposition R), but the Texas Attorney General sued and a court has blocked enforcement.
Not applicable to licensing. Operating any unlicensed cannabis sales remains a felony under TX H&S Code Section 481.120, with penalties scaling from state-jail felony to first-degree felony.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Code Chapter 51A handles hemp and CBD retail under standard commercial zoning since Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 122 permits hemp-derived sales. Rec...
Dallas, TX
Recreational marijuana dispensaries are illegal in Texas. Only licensed Compassionate Use Program dispensaries may operate under Texas Occupations Code Chapt...
See how Dallas's social equity licensing rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.