The Texas Department of State Health Services reported six measles cases in Williamson County in a statewide report released Friday.

According to the report, the county鈥檚 cases are not thought to be connected to the measles outbreak in West Texas at this time.

The Williamson County and Cities Health District has confirmed two measles cases over the past two weeks. Deb Strahler, WCCHD's director of marketing, said Friday that the local public health department has not officially confirmed any additional cases.

"WCCHD is only reporting lab-confirmed positive measles cases at this time 鈥� which is still at two cases," Strahler said in an email. "Other cases may be reported as related or positive by DSHS using criteria other than a lab-confirmed test. WCCHD has no other information to share on the two positive lab-confirmed or any other measles cases at this time."

WCCHD went on to explain that DSHS includes cases that are considered "epidemiologically linked鈥� in its report. That's when someone begins showing symptoms after being around a person who tested positive for measles. For instance, if a child has measles, her parents might assume her brother has caught the disease without testing him if he breaks out in a similar rash.

Both cases confirmed by WCCHD were in Leander residents, one an adult and one a school-aged child. The child attends Liberty Hill ISD鈥檚 Bar W Elementary School and was contagious between May 15 and May 24, according to WCCHD.

Symptoms of the highly contagious illness include fever, cough, runny nose, white spots in the mouth, and a red rash on the skin. Local health authorities have urged people who suspect they may have measles to contact a doctor before heading to a health facility in person.

John Hart Asher is the host of the PBS show Central Texas Gardener. So it鈥檚 on brand that he was gardening in his East Austin backyard when the big storm came in on Wednesday.

鈥淚f the rain's coming, I try to work my plants in,鈥� said Asher, who ended up getting much more than rain.

鈥淚 looked over my shoulder and I noticed this massive blue, dark blue shelf [of clouds],鈥� he said.

He spotted a smaller nearby cloud rotating near the storm system, then, he said, 鈥渆verything just dropped out.鈥�

After running inside the house, he watched dangerous winds, rain and hail take visibility outside 鈥渢o zero.鈥�

鈥淚t sounded like a freight train,鈥� Asher said. 鈥淚 grew up in Mississippi. I鈥檓 used to tornadoes my whole life, and this is the first time here in Austin where I told [my wife] Bonnie and the kids to go take shelter.鈥�

They were right to do it. In under an hour, severe winds damaged thousands of homes, floods swept cars off the street, and downed trees left over 180,000 people without power. The raging water from the flash floods also left at least one person dead.

But, at that exact same time, the skies were blue south of the Colorado River. You might not have even known bad weather was happening at all if you were there.

That鈥檚 because the storm was something called a 鈥渕icroburst.鈥�

鈥淚t was one storm,鈥� Bob Fogarty, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said. 鈥淚f you looked at the radar, at that time, there was a single storm."

Fogarty said that鈥檚 different from the storm lines or storm fronts we typically see in Central Texas.

鈥淭here was nothing north of it, there was nothing south of it,鈥� he said.

Like those larger systems a microburst storm is cooked up by extreme air temperature differences and clashing wind currents, but it stands alone.

Viewed from a distance it can sometimes look almost like a mushroom cloud, with a massive storm head (likely the 鈥渟helf鈥� Asher said he saw) suddenly dumping cold air and precipitation from its center back to ground as it moves over the land.

鈥淲hen they hit the ground, they spread out and they can be very destructive,鈥� Fogarty said.

What happened in Austin is called a 鈥渓ong track microburst,鈥� because it covered more ground and lasted longer than

The storm traveled Northwest to Southeast. Staying mostly north of the river, it pummeled a swath of town about 10 miles long and up to 2.5 miles wide with heavy rain, hail and winds that were as strong as a Category 1 hurricane or an EF0 tornado.

鈥淭hey estimated the maximum winds at 85 miles an hour based on the damage that they saw,鈥� Fogarty said.

Those winds wreaked havoc on the trees in Asher鈥檚 neighborhood. The 鈥減ocket prairies鈥� of native plants and grasses he was planting when the storm came in were flattened.

But, he said, he lucked out. His home got through undamaged and his yard should recover.

鈥淭his will all pop back up,鈥� he said, pointing to his backyard. 鈥淚t looks a little rough right now, but it'll pop back.鈥�

Ten young singers dressed in tie-dyed shirts stood at the altar of a church on the Drag. Some were stiff, their eyes fixed straight ahead. Others swayed while tapping their thighs.

A couple managed a smile.

The audience of family members and supporters in pews across from them, meanwhile, had no trouble smiling.

The Pano Youth Choir had been practicing almost every Tuesday night since January for its inaugural performance earlier this month.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a journey,鈥� 15-year-old soloist Theo Klumpp said after the show. 鈥淚t didn鈥檛 sound like that the entire time, but even when it didn鈥檛, there was definitely a very strong community.鈥�

No auditions were required for the choir, which was made up of singers in sixth through 12th grades. It cost $185 to join 鈥� though the fee could be reduced if it was prohibitive.

Many of the singers had been pushed to join by their moms. Director AV Villarreal said it took some time before a few felt comfortable singing with the group.

鈥淚 had some sweet kiddos who came in the first rehearsal and didn鈥檛 make any sounds at all. They sat in the back all by themselves with their arms crossed and their hoodie tied all the way around their face,鈥� they said. 鈥淎nd I was like 鈥� well, you know, it鈥檚 just going to take time, because kids need to trust you 鈥� before they are willing to be vulnerable."

With time, they said, the kids blossomed.

Villarreal, who has a master鈥檚 degree in choral conducting and has taught young singers for a decade, said they wanted to form the group in part because of their experience with Panoramic Voices. The adult choir, which doesn't require auditions, has been in Austin for more than 20 years and bills itself as having a 鈥渕usic without borders鈥� approach that welcomes singers of all experiences and backgrounds.

鈥淸I like] just being part of an ensemble where there鈥檚 low pressure and where there鈥檚 community and people really enjoy making art together,鈥� they said. 鈥淚 was like 鈥� this has got to be for kids.鈥�

Juli Orlandini, Panoramic Voices' managing artistic director, said she knew it was a perfect fit and told Villarreal to run with the idea.

鈥淎V had complete artistic control,鈥� she said.

'One of the best inventions'

Growing up in Austin with a father who plays guitar, Maura Collier said she has always been into music 鈥� and that it's good for your mental health.

"Music is beautiful and one of the best inventions," she said. "Everyone should be included in music, even if you can't sing that well."

The 12-year-old, who also played violin during the show, said she was shy at first, but that Villarreal was a great teacher. To calm her nerves before performing, Maura said she takes a few deep breaths.

鈥淒eep Breaths鈥� was also the title of the spring program. Villarreal said they were inspired thinking about what the expression means in a post-pandemic world.

鈥淚t鈥檚 this thing [people] used to say to each other colloquially and comfortably as a quick way to calm down,鈥� they said. 鈥淎fter we鈥檝e spent so much time afraid of sharing air with each other, how do we reconnect with our breath?"

Villarreal said they were intentional about choosing songs for the program and lifting up the voices of female composers. The soloists got to pick their own music.

Many of the songs were folky, like 鈥淐rowded Table鈥� by The Highwomen. Two singers performed a song from the movie Harriet. Then there was Ivy Kim, who stunned the audience with a piece from an Italian opera.

A space to grow

After the performance, Hindatu Mohammed wiped tears from her face.

鈥淚 was just crying the whole time,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y child has never been in a choir before, so to be able to have a space for a newcomer to choir to really feel welcome and then to flourish, I don鈥檛 even have words for it. It鈥檚 incredible.鈥�

This was Mohammed鈥檚 first time hearing her daughter, Malika, sing pieces from the show.

鈥淪he wouldn鈥檛 sing any solos for me [at home],鈥� she said, 鈥渟o it was all completely surprising. It was all brand new.鈥�

Orlandini and Villarreal are focused on growing the program in the fall and said more details will be available for those who are interested in joining.

Thirteen-year-old Ari Kahan said they would 鈥渁bsolutely鈥� do it again.

鈥淛oin us!鈥� Ari said. 鈥淣o, seriously, we really need more members.鈥�

Disclosure: Stephanie Federico is a member of Panoramic Voices.

Austin has paid out nearly $30 million to settle lawsuits over police conduct during protests following George Floyd's murder five years ago.

Most of the settlements were related to injuries caused by police using shotguns to fire lead-pellet bags at demonstrators outside the department's headquarters in May 2020.

A wave of lawsuits followed over police use of the so-called "less-lethal" ammunition. As of last week, the city had settled 27 lawsuits, including a $4.5 million settlement to Sam Kirsch.

Kirsch told Austin City Council on May 22 that he's suffered for years as a result of being shot in the face. He's had permanent nerve damage and had to have an eye removed six weeks ago.

He said the city could have "serious questions" over the next few years, given the frequent protests of the Trump administration.

"I really worry about what's going to happen the next time there's widespread protests, and it could easily happen on your watch," he told council members. "Will you ensure the safety of the people of Austin from APD when they're peacefully protesting, or are more people going to have life-changing injuries and will [the city] continue to pay millions?"

Other high-dollar settlements include $2.95 million to Brad Ayala, whose skull was fractured after he was shot in the head by an officer. Eve Howell, who was also nearly killed after being shot in the head, settled her lawsuit for $8 million in 2022.

A number of police officers were also indicted by AG真人百家乐 County District Attorney Jos茅 Garza, but most of those indictments have been dropped.

Since the protests, the city has rolled out changes within the Austin Police Department. In 2020, the city tried to move funding from APD, but that money was restored because of a state law banning cities from cutting money to police. APD also started to retool its training for police cadets, an effort that's been stymied by at the police academy. The city has also begun to roll out the Austin Police Oversight Act, a proposition approved by voters in 2023.

But attorney and criminal justice advocate Rebecca Webber, who represented Kirsch, told KUT the city has dragged its feet on many reforms, including the APOA. The measure, which aims to give civilians more access to police complaint files, was on hold for years because of state laws protecting police employment documents.

"The city has failed to implement it," she said. "So, I am possibly more frustrated today than I was five years ago about the city's failure to take accountability for its police department."

While Kirsch was able to get restitution, Webber said, APD avoided accountability. The department could have been found criminally liable, but its internal investigation wasn鈥檛 released until after a statute of limitations to prosecute expired.

KUT reached out to the city and the Austin Police Department for comment, but did not receive a response by deadline.

A previous version of this story referred to Eve Howell as Justin Howell. She no longer goes by that name.

Employees rushed in and out of Room Service Vintage carrying records, shelves, art, lamps and clothes to the sidewalk Thursday morning, a day after the shop flooded during a destructive storm.

Following the store's closing time, employees and vendors were gathered for a regular meeting when the storm hit and water began to rise.

鈥淲e were wading through it, all the carpets were squishy,鈥� store manager Cristin Cornal said. 鈥淲e had like 10 people trying to push water out the front door 鈥� 鈥奱ll working together with random tools.鈥�

Cornal said the storm was over almost as soon as it started.

鈥淭he sun was out and we were like, 鈥極ur store鈥檚 completely flooded and it looks beautiful outside,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥溾�奧as that even real?鈥�

Audrie San Miguel, a former employee and friend of the owner, got emotional as she saw the once brightly colored, patterned rugs dragged out through the front door. Now, they were wet and full of mud that muted the colors.

"That particular carpet was so valuable and so iconic," she said. "鈥奍t's kind of part of the identity of Room Service."

The vintage store has been in North Loop since 1981, and the store owner said the rugs had been there since the '90s.

Room Service Vintage's neon sign was also damaged. Strong winds and hail led to several broken tubes and missing pieces in the sign.

San Miguel said some merchandise was ruined, and it will take time for the business and vendors to recover.

鈥娾�漈he water rose so high that even stuff that was against the wall and hanging on the walls got water damage from the water rising so quickly,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hese are individual people that are missing out on days and days of sales.鈥�

Rick Cole, restoration manager 鈥妛ith Water Damage Roofing and Restoration, was called to the vintage store Thursday morning to help with the water damage.

鈥�"When the storm rolled in at about seven o'clock, we started getting multiple calls, minute after minute," he said. "And, of course, we only have so many people.

The main issue, Cole said, is addressing water damage in places that don't have power. Without electricity, workers can't plug in water extractors and dehumidifiers that help prevent mold from growing.

"鈥奣here's only so many restoration companies in town... It was 1:30 a.m. when I finally fell asleep and I got up at 6," he said. "Running on fumes."

Room Service Vintage is currently closed but hopes to reopen on Tuesday, .

At least one person is dead as a result of the severe storm that hit Austin on Wednesday.

The person was walking in a creek bed with two others in the . The adult was pronounced dead on the scene after being submerged in water for over 20 minutes, Austin-AG真人百家乐 County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz said at a news conference Thursday morning.

There were nine water-rescue calls during the storm. The calls included vehicle rescues and pedestrians swept away by water, city officials said.

Around 13,000 Austin Energy customers at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday. A single utility customer typically represents 2.5 people, so the outage is impacting around 32,500 residents.

The utility said it could take a few days to get service back for everyone. It said it would update estimated restoration times once the damage was fully assessed.

So far, crews have seen extensive property damage, Stuart Riley, interim general manager of Austin Energy, said. Strong winds as high as 77 mph and fallen trees pulled down power lines and poles, leading to a peak of 72,500 customers, or around 181,250 people, without power. More than 100 utility poles were broken in the storm.

"Looking at our outage history data in our system, which goes back to 2012, this event is the third worst storm we have had in Austin Energy, following only Winter Storm Mara and Winter Storm Uri," he said.

Austin Energy warned residents not to touch downed power lines or tree limbs that are touching them. Call 512-322-9100 to report a downed line.

Flooding can make roads dangerous, and city officials do not recommend trying to drive through standing water as it is often deeper than it looks. Multiple low-water crossings are closed around Central Texas. Check the status of roads at .

Wednesday's storm brought hail, high winds and rain that led to flash flooding. Around 2-3 inches of rain fell within the span of half an hour, officials said.

Austin resident Don Gillespie said the storm was by far the most intense rainfall he鈥檚 experienced.

鈥淲e鈥檝e had a few heavy rain events, but we haven鈥檛 had anything like this in a while,鈥� Gillespie said. 鈥淚t all seemed to come and go pretty quickly.鈥�

He said it all happened in the span of about 30 minutes. The hail started first along with strong winds. Then the rain came.

Once the sun came out, Gillespie said he walked out to see Hancock Creek, which is just a few hundred feet from his North Austin home where he has lived since 2003.

Normally, he said, the creek is down to a trickle or dry, but on Wednesday the water rose to about a foot or so beneath the pedestrian bridge that spans it. The water was flowing quickly.

He said he noticed a man looking for his friend. A little after 7 p.m., Gillespie said he heard emergency vehicle sirens. The missing man was found and was declared deceased by the rescue crew.

The National Weather Service concluded the storm was not a tornado but a "microburst," a storm with strong, downdraft winds. The NWS estimated the sustained winds were between 65-85 mph, which is about as strong as a Category 1 hurricane.

Damage is mainly centered around North and Central Austin.

Isolated and scattered thunderstorms with the potential for large hail, damaging winds and heavy rain are possible in Austin between 2 and 6 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said.

If rain falls in the same places it did last night, more flooding is likely, NWS meteorologist Emily Heller said.

There are no severe storm watches or warnings currently in effect.

Marlyn Martinez remembers standing on stage and peering out at the crowd this past April in Norfolk, Virginia. All 2,500 seats in the concert hall were sold out.

It was a short set, but Martinez put everything she had into the performance.

鈥淚 was definitely hungry after,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ecause I was putting all my energy in it.鈥�

Martinez plays the baritone saxophone with the Huston-Tillotson University Jazz Orchestra.

Last month, out of more than 100 historically Black colleges and universities across the nation, Huston-Tillotson University was one of 12 selected to attend a residency in Norfolk, Virginia, with Wynton Marsalis.

Even if you don鈥檛 recognize the name, there鈥檚 a good chance 鈥� especially if you鈥檙e a fan 鈥� that you鈥檝e heard Marsalis鈥檚 work.

Of the 12 bands, only two were selected to open for Marsalis鈥檚 band, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Huston-Tillotson was one of them.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a crazy opportunity. It鈥檚 an enriching opportunity,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 definitely something that you can鈥檛 get just anywhere.鈥�

It was no small feat getting the Huston-Tillotson Jazz Orchestra to a national stage. That鈥檚 partly because the program didn鈥檛 even exist until about three years ago. That鈥檚 when Jeremy George took a leap of faith and left his job teaching music on the high school level in Florida to develop the jazz program at Huston-Tillotson.

鈥淏efore I moved here and took this job, I didn鈥檛 know anything about Huston-Tillotson University,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou know I was over in Florida like, there's a job opening at Huston-Tillotson? Where? Let me look that up. In Austin?鈥� 

Since moving here, George realized that even some people in Austin don鈥檛 know about Huston-Tillotson. It鈥檚 a small, 3-block campus on the east side. There are only about 40 music majors out of about 1,000 students. The music department is more of a music hallway.

鈥淚t鈥檚 harder for us to get students to come because our school doesn鈥檛 have the resume 鈥� you know you can鈥檛 go into an Academy Sports and see Huston-Tillotson shirts,鈥� he said.

George said he was ecstatic when he got the call that Huston-Tillotson was invited to the residency in Norfolk. But being a small school, it also presented a challenge. George didn鈥檛 want his students to miss what he called a "once in a lifetime opportunity," but they needed to raise $30,000 to make it happen.

鈥淎 lot of schools have travel budgets. We don鈥檛 have the same resources,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e had to fundraise every dollar.鈥�

George said he made calls to anyone that would donate to the trip 鈥� even his mom 鈥� and they made it work. Every student got to fly to Norfolk. For some students, it was their first flight ever.

And they didn鈥檛 come back empty handed.

Huston-Tillotson students took home awards for most outstanding piano player, bassist, drummer, tenor saxophone, clarinet soloist, trumpet and reed section.

鈥淭o say that we have been recognized on such a prestigious level in three years, when you have schools that have hundreds of music majors, schools who have huge music buildings, over 100 music faculty, it鈥檚 unheard of,鈥� George said.

Josh Lister, the rising senior who was awarded the most outstanding piano player, said his experience in Norfolk was a blessing. But he's not calling it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

鈥淏ecause I believe we all have great plans and great futures,鈥� he said. 鈥淢usic has the ability to touch and reach people in places that we can鈥檛 physically go. So as long as we keep that up, we鈥檒l touch many lives.鈥�

Lister and Martinez don鈥檛 know when they鈥檒l play in front of another jazz great. But they are gearing up for another performance at one of Austin鈥檚 most sought after venues: the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

The Huston-Tillotson Jazz Orchestra will play weekend two.

Williamson County has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of imposed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. AG真人百家乐 County filed a similar lawsuit earlier this month.

The new rules require certain district and county attorneys to submit "performance reports" and grant the Attorney General's Office access to certain case files. In the lawsuit filed May 16, Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick, a Republican, argued Paxton exceeded his legal authority with the regulations.

"Attempts to comply with these rules could cost our county millions of dollars, endanger our ability to do our job and destroy a fundamental principle of our government 鈥� separation of powers," Dick said in a statement. "Paxton often attacks the overreach and overregulation of national government over local government. His new rules are the very same unconstitutional overreach and overregulation Paxton purports to fight on a daily basis."

The newly mandated reports require counties with more than 400,000 people to provide a wide range of information to the attorney general 鈥� including how cases are resolved, how budgets are spent, internal emails and details about how prosecutors make decisions.

In a statement, Paxton said the rules are a way to "rein in rogue dis颅trict attorneys" and "ensure accountability and promote public safety." He said there would be consequences for district and county attorneys who intentionally violate the requirements.

"With these rules, Paxton has created a new mechanism to remove prosecutors he does not agree with, thereby overriding the will of the local voters who chose their local district attorney," Dick said.

Dick is the first elected Republican official to challenge the rules, which apply only to about a dozen of the state鈥檚 254 counties 鈥� most of which have Democratic district and county attorneys.

Editor's note: Follow our latest coverage of the storm's aftermath here, including updates from city leaders on injuries, power outages and property damage.

At least one person is dead as a result of the severe storm that hit Austin on Wednesday. AG真人百家乐 County EMS said the person was found at the scene of a water rescue. Two other people were taken to hospitals.

More than 30,000 Austin Energy customers Thursday morning. Austin Energy said it could take a few days to get power back for everyone. The energy provider said it would update estimated restoration times once the damage was fully assessed.

The city scheduled a news conference for 10:30 a.m. It will be aired live on KUT.

Austin Energy warned residents not to touch downed power lines or tree limbs that are touching them. Customers can call 512-322-9100 to report a downed line.

Eleven low-water crossings are closed around Central Texas. Flooding can make low-lying roads dangerous to drive on. City officials do not recommend trying to drive through standing water on roads as it is often deeper than it appears. Find which roads are closed due to flooding at .

Capital Metro said passengers could experience some delays in bus and rail service Thursday morning due to the storms.

The severe storm Wednesday brought heavy rain, damaging winds and golf ball-sized hail to the area.

Officials at Austin Bergstrom International Airport said Wednesday that winds broke a glass door near Checkpoint 1, but airport operations are not affected. The Texas Newsroom's Blaise Gainey reported there was also rain damage at the Texas Capitol.

KUT's Stephanie Federico was driving home northbound on Guadalupe Street during the storm.

鈥淭he sky was just totally black," she said. "Hail was pounding from all over, all sides of the car. ... It was like golf balls being thrown at you."

KUT's Olivia Aldridge watched the storm from her front porch in Hyde Park. She said streets flooded, large branches fell and everyone in her neighborhood lost power.

Austin resident Mariah Davis was shopping at the H-E-B in the Mueller neighborhood during the storm.

"A bunch of people were running in all bloody," she said. "They had a bunch of bruises already forming from the hail."

Here are a few ways to stay informed during severe weather events:

• Follow the  for the latest weather updates.
• Follow Austin Emergency Management on  or  for local notifications and tips.
• Go to  to sign up for emergency alerts. 
•  to report a power outage or see a map of current outages. If you're a customer of another energy provider, ,  and  have their own outage maps.
• KUT also has a list of  that post about local weather.

With less than a week to go in the 89th legislative session, Texas lawmakers are rushing to get their bills out of the House and Senate and onto the governor鈥檚 desk. That includes two bills championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, one of the most influential lawmakers in the state who has set his focus this year on regulating THC products.

Standing before a table of THC-laced beverages and snacks, Patrick explained his mission this session.

鈥淭his is to save an entire generation of being [sic] hooked on drugs,鈥� he said.

Standing next to Patrick was state Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), author of , which would ban all consumable THC products, such as gummies or vapes. SB 3 has passed the legislature and now heads to the governor for approval.

Patrick said he has 鈥渢otal confidence鈥� that Gov. Greg Abbott would approve the legislation.

鈥淚 know where his heart is, and I know where he wants to be to protect children and adults,鈥� Patrick said.

purchasing, possessing and selling hemp products in 2019. The industry has since boomed in the state.

Perry said he鈥檚 been on a mission to overturn that legislation ever since.

鈥淚t took about four years and unfortunately lives lost and lives ruined to get it to the level and awareness that I was able to bring it to,鈥� he said.

Under SB 3, Texans would still be able to buy non-psychoactive cannabis derivatives like CBD or CBG. The products would be required to be placed in child-resistant packaging.

Patrick and Perry have both raised concerns over children accessing such products. In March, Patrick visited several shops selling THC consumables to check whether they were carding customers. When he arrived at an Austin CBD shop, The Happy Cactus Apothecary, an employee requested to see his ID to verify his age.

鈥淥ne of our employees said she asked for his ID, and he said 鈥業鈥檓 Dan Patrick.鈥� And she said, 鈥業 still need to see your ID,鈥欌�� shop owner, Todd Harris,

Critics of the legislation, , say individuals who consume THC may use it to alleviate chronic pain. But a separate bill, , would expand the pool of individuals who would qualify for the Compassionate Use Program. Under the program, patients with certain medical issues, such as cancer or PTSD, are eligible to receive medical-grade cannabis products for treatment. Under HB 46, those with chronic pain would be allowed to apply. The bill is being amended by the House before it鈥檚 sent to the governor for his approval.

Katharine Neill Harris, a drug policy fellow at Rice University鈥檚 Baker Institute, said HB 46 would make medical cannabis more accessible.

鈥淚 think, absolutely, we will see an increase in people who have been taking marijuana, sort of outside of the Compassionate Use Program, who now can be brought into that and have access to those higher quality products,鈥� she said.