Cannabis Advocacy Organizations in Texas

Last verified: April 2026

Major Advocacy Organizations

Texas NORML

Executive Director: Jax James

The Texas chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws is the state's longest-running cannabis advocacy organization. Texas NORML tracks legislation during each 140-day session, organizes Capitol advocacy days where supporters meet with legislators, and conducts community education events across the state.

During legislative sessions, Texas NORML provides real-time tracking of cannabis-related bills, coordinates witness testimony at committee hearings, and mobilizes grassroots contacts to legislators. Between sessions, the organization maintains public education campaigns and supports local decriminalization efforts.

Website: texasnorml.org

Foundation for an Informed Texas (FIT)

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on cannabis research and education rather than direct political advocacy. FIT partners with academic institutions including the Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy and the University of Maryland to produce peer-reviewed cannabis policy research.

FIT's approach distinguishes it from most cannabis advocacy organizations: rather than lobbying legislators directly, it produces research that informs the policy debate. This model provides cover for legislators who want data rather than ideology to justify their positions.

Texas Cannabis Policy Center

Director: Heather Fazio

Focused on legislative strategy and public education, the Texas Cannabis Policy Center works to build bipartisan coalitions for cannabis reform. Fazio, formerly with the Marijuana Policy Project, brings national policy experience to Texas-specific legislative dynamics. The center conducts polling, publishes policy analyses, and coordinates with legislators on bill language and strategy.

Ground Game Texas

Because Texas has no statewide ballot initiative, Ground Game Texas has pursued a creative alternative: placing cannabis decriminalization measures on local ballots using home-rule city charter provisions. Their strategy exploits a feature of Texas municipal law that allows citizens to petition for charter amendments in home-rule cities.

Ground Game has successfully placed measures on ballots in Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Denton, Elgin, Lubbock, and other cities. Voter approval has been overwhelming — often exceeding 70%. However, Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued to block several measures, arguing state preemption. The legal battle continues.

RAMP Texas (Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition)

Founded: 2012 by Ann Lee and Bob Lee (Houston)

RAMP works within Republican Party structures — precinct conventions, county conventions, state platform committees — to shift conservative opinion on cannabis. Unlike organizations that work outside the party system, RAMP's strategy is explicitly internal: change the GOP from within by speaking the language of individual liberty, limited government, and personal responsibility.

Ann Lee, the organization's founder, became an advocate after her son Richard was paralyzed in an accident and found relief from cannabis. A self-described conservative Christian, Lee argued that "prohibition is not conservative" and worked until her death on October 25, 2025, at age 96, to make that case within her own party.

RAMP's most tangible achievement: the Texas GOP adopted Plank 165 in its 2016 state platform supporting TCUP expansion — a direct result of years of convention-level advocacy.

Website: rframp.org

MAMMA (Mothers Advocating Medical Marijuana for Autism)

Founded: 2014 by AmyLou Fawell and Thalia Michelle, Dripping Springs, TX

MAMMA was born from desperation. Fawell and Michelle, both self-described "Christian conservative women," founded the organization when their autistic children were suffering violent episodes that conventional medications could not control. Fawell's son Lance experienced a 60–70% reduction in aggression after beginning CBD treatment.

MAMMA's political effectiveness comes from its messengers: conservative mothers from suburban Texas who cannot be dismissed as hippies or stoners. Their testimony before the Legislature — describing children smashing their own heads into walls, families living in fear of the next violent episode, and the transformation that CBD oil brought — has been instrumental in TCUP expansions, particularly the addition of autism as a qualifying condition in 2019.

Marijuana Policy Project — Texas

The national Marijuana Policy Project maintains a Texas-specific program focused on legislative advocacy and public education. MPP provides model legislation, polling data, and strategic support to Texas reform efforts.

Website: mpp.org/states/texas

Industry and Trade Organizations

Texas Hemp Business Council

Represents hemp businesses in the state, advocating for clear regulations that protect the legal hemp-derived THC market. The council has been active in opposing legislative efforts to ban delta-8 and other hemp-derived cannabinoids while supporting reasonable quality and testing standards.

Texas Hemp Coalition

A broader hemp industry organization focused on agricultural hemp as well as consumer products. The coalition works with farmers, processors, and retailers to protect and expand hemp commerce in Texas.

Legal Resources

If you need legal help related to cannabis in Texas, these resources may be useful:

• NORML Legal Committee: Directory of cannabis-experienced attorneys. norml.org/lawyers
• Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA): Find a criminal defense attorney in Texas. tcdla.com
• Texas State Law Library Cannabis Guide: Official legal research guide covering Texas cannabis statutes and case law. guides.sll.texas.gov/cannabis

How These Organizations Work Together

Texas cannabis advocacy is not a monolith. Each organization occupies a different niche:

• Texas NORML provides Capitol presence and legislative tracking
• RAMP works within the Republican Party structure
• MAMMA provides emotionally compelling medical testimony
• Ground Game Texas pursues local ballot victories as an end-run around the Legislature
• FIT produces academic research that informs all of the above
• Texas Cannabis Policy Center coordinates legislative strategy and builds coalitions

The fragmentation is both a weakness (no single organization speaks for "the movement") and a strength (the message reaches different audiences through different messengers). When a conservative mother from Dripping Springs and a libertarian Republican from Houston and a Democratic legislator from El Paso all argue for the same policy change, the case is harder to dismiss.