How to choose a medical marijuana doctor in Texas
Seven questions to ask any TCUP clinic before you book. Including here.
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Effective September 1, 2025, House Bill 46 added six qualifying conditions to the Texas Compassionate Use Program: chronic pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), Crohn’s disease, terminal illness, hospice care, and palliative care. A physician evaluation is always required, so you may qualify rather than automatically qualify.
Why this is hard to compare
Two clinics quoting different prices are often not selling the same thing
You’ve decided to find out whether medical cannabis is an option for you. Then you start looking for a medical marijuana doctor in Texas, and a dozen clinics come back with different prices, different promises, and no obvious way to tell them apart.
Price is the easiest thing to compare, so most people compare it first. It’s also the least useful, because two clinics quoting different numbers are often not selling the same thing. One number can cover a single evaluation. Another can cover a full year of care. Both are legitimate. They are not equivalent.
Every clinic certifying patients in Texas operates under the same law: the Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP). What differs is how the care around that certification is delivered, what happens after your prescription is entered, and who you can reach when something isn’t working.
Below are seven questions, grouped by the point at which each one matters. Ask them before you book anywhere, including here.
Before you book
These three can be answered from a clinic’s website in about five minutes, before you spend anything. If a site can’t answer them, that’s worth knowing early.
| Ask this | Why it matters | A good answer | Worth a second look |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ask thisIs the physician registered in CURT, and will I know their name before I book? | Why it mattersUnder TCUP, a prescription has to be entered into the Compassionate Use Registry of Texas by a registered physician. You’re about to discuss your medical history with someone, and you should be able to look them up first. | A good answerThe physician is named on the site with credentials and specialty, and “who will I be seeing” isn’t treated as an unusual question. | Worth a second lookNo individual physician named anywhere, or no name until after you’ve booked and paid. |
| Ask thisIs the clinic based in Texas, or is Texas one of many states? | Why it mattersTCUP doesn’t resemble most other state programs, and your questions will be Texas questions: which product forms exist here, what your prescription means for your job or a traffic stop, why Texas uses a registry instead of a plastic card. | A good answerThey can say specifically how Texas differs from the state you’re comparing it to, and the site is written about Texas rather than adapted from a national template. | Worth a second lookTexas appears as one line on a dropdown and the content could describe any state. |
| Ask thisDoes the clinic understand my condition, or only the paperwork? | Why it mattersA veteran managing PTSD, a parent managing a child’s seizure disorder, and someone stepping down from long-term opioid therapy are three different conversations. Eligibility is never automatic, so see whether your condition may qualify first. | A good answerSubstantive information about your specific condition, and a physician who can discuss how cannabis fits alongside treatment you already receive. | Worth a second lookA clinic that lists conditions but says nothing about any of them. |
When you’re about to pay
One question, and it’s the one that makes price comparison meaningful instead of misleading.
| Ask this | Why it matters | A good answer | Worth a second look |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ask thisDoes the fee cover twelve months, or only the initial evaluation? | Why it mattersA lower number and a higher number can be honest quotes for genuinely different products. Ask what sits behind the price: CURT registration, portal access, documentation, dose guidance, renewal cost, and anything added at checkout. See what a twelve-month certification includes. | A good answerThey can answer all of that without checking, and the total you pay matches the number you were quoted. | Worth a second lookA headline price that grows at checkout, or a renewal fee nobody mentions until month twelve. |
Texas does not issue a physical medical marijuana card. Patients are enrolled in the CURT prescription registry, which is the official state record. Some Texas clinics, including this one, additionally provide a virtual certification card and approval letter through a patient portal. If a clinic advertises “your Texas MMJ card,” ask what they actually mean by that.
After you’re certified
These three are the ones patients wish they’d asked. Certification is a starting point, not a finish line, and the first weeks are where most of the questions live.
| Ask this | Why it matters | A good answer | Worth a second look |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ask thisWhat happens after my prescription is entered? | Why it mattersSome clinics treat the evaluation as the product: you’re certified and the relationship is over until renewal. Others include ongoing support. Both are defensible. You want to know which one you’re buying. Our how the process works page walks through it. | A good answerThey state plainly what’s included after your appointment and for how long, and whether contacting them again costs anything. | Worth a second lookVagueness about what happens next, or support that turns out to be a per-contact charge. |
| Ask thisWho adjusts my dose if the first product form doesn’t work? | Why it mattersPatients respond to the permitted low-THC product forms differently, and it’s common for the first thing you try to be wrong, or right at the wrong amount. That’s a clinical conversation, not a customer service one. | A good answerThey explain who handles dose questions, how you reach them, and whether it’s covered by what you already paid. | Worth a second lookDose questions routed to a general support queue rather than to clinical staff. |
| Ask thisCan I reach a human at the clinic? | Why it mattersTest it before you book. Call the number, send the text, email the contact address, and see what comes back and how fast. A clinic with a real person behind its phone number is telling you how the next twelve months will go. | A good answerA published number a person answers, a stated response time, and staff who can answer a program question rather than only a scheduling one. | Worth a second lookA contact form as the only route in, or no reply to your test message. |
Take these seven questions anywhere you’re considering
Including here. If you’d like to see how we answer them before you read on, start with what’s included or check whether your condition may qualify.
Our own answers
How Texas Cannabis Clinic answers these
We wrote this list, so it’s fair to ask how we do on it. Here are our answers. Take the same seven questions to anyone else you’re considering.
Our physician is named and registered
Dr. Matthew Brimberry, MD is our Medical Director and a CURT-registered physician. His name, credentials, and NPI are published on this site before you book anything.
Austin-based, Texas only
TCUP is the only program we work in. That’s a deliberate limit.
We know these conditions
We evaluate patients across every qualifying condition under TCUP, including all six added by HB 46. We’re veteran-owned and physician-led.
Follow-up is included, not billed
Your certification includes twelve months of dose guidance and customer service support. You don’t pay to ask us a question.
Dose questions go to the clinic
If the first product form doesn’t work for you, that’s a conversation we expect to have, and it’s covered.
You can reach us
Call or text 512-892-7092, or email [email protected]. A person responds.
$160 covers twelve months
That includes your appointment, CURT registration, patient portal access, your virtual certification card and approval letter, customer service support, and twelve months of dose guidance. As-needed video appointments are available at $75 for patients who need a visit between annual certifications, such as titration support or complex cases. There is no separate charge to be certified.
If another clinic answers these seven questions better than we do, book there. The goal is that you end up with care that works, not that you end up here.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Ask the clinic for the prescribing physician’s full name and credentials before you book, and confirm the physician is registered with the Compassionate Use Registry of Texas. The Texas Department of Public Safety administers TCUP and publishes program information for patients. A clinic that won’t tell you who you’re seeing until after you’ve paid is worth a second look.
It can. TCUP is a Texas-only program with rules that differ meaningfully from other states, so a clinic that works exclusively in Texas is answering Texas questions every day. National platforms can certify Texas patients legally as long as the prescribing physician is CURT-registered. The difference shows up in the questions you’ll have after certification, not in the certification itself.
Ask whether the quoted price covers a single evaluation or a full certification period, and whether CURT registration, portal access, dose guidance, and follow-up contact are included or billed separately. Renewal costs are worth asking about at the same time. A lower advertised price and a higher one can describe very different products.
No. Texas does not issue a physical medical marijuana card. Approved patients are entered into the CURT prescription registry, which is the official state record of your prescription. Texas Cannabis Clinic additionally provides every approved patient with a virtual certification card and approval letter through the patient portal.
You are not locked into the clinic that certified you. If you want to change clinics, you would be evaluated by another CURT-registered physician, who would enter a new prescription in the registry. Ask any clinic you’re considering how they handle patients transferring from another practice.
About Texas Cannabis Clinic
Texas Cannabis Clinic is a TCUP-registered telemedicine clinic based in Austin, Texas. Founded by board-certified physicians and veteran-owned, TCC helps patients across Texas qualify for medical cannabis under the Texas Compassionate Use Program. Consultations are $160 for a 12-month certification or $75 for an as-needed video appointment, conducted entirely via telemedicine with no office visit required. We serve all of Texas by telemedicine, from El Paso to Houston, Dallas to the Rio Grande Valley.
Ready to take the next step?
You’ve got the questions. If you’d like to see how we answer them in practice, start with the two-minute qualification quiz or book a telemedicine appointment with our physician. Either way, ask the seven questions first.
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Questions first? Call or text 512-892-7092