AUSTIN, Texas – There’s growing support for making medical cannabis accessible to more Texans. 

The bipartisan push is encouraging news for Chase Bearden.

"When I broke my neck at 25, I went from being an elite athlete to being paralyzed from the neck down,” Bearden said. “I had a lot to re-learn."

He was given opioids to curb his chronic pain. 

"That's what was legal, that's what doctors could prescribe," he said.  

But a couple of years ago, he decided he needed to ween himself off prescribed pain killers. 

On a visit to Colorado, Bearden tried CBD oil for the first time. 

"That night, the immediate effect of just having the ability to calm my body, it calmed the pain. Ist reduced the side effects of taking opioids," said Bearden.  

Bearden can't legally find that same relief in Texas because the state's limited law, the Compassionate Use Act, only serves certain patients with a rare form of epilepsy. 

But it's stories like Bearden's that have led a broad coalition of lawmakers to support expanding access to medical cannabis. 

"Expanded use can actually help others process, disease processes such as spasticity, post traumatic stress disorder," said Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels.  

Campbell has filed legislation that would slightly increase the cap on THC levels in medical cannabis legally grown in Texas. It would also allow certain physicians more say in prescribing which patients need it. 

But Campbell and a handful of other lawmakers pushing expanded use legislation may have hit a roadblock. 

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who can block bills from coming to his chamber's floor, doesn't appear to be on board. 

In a statement, Patrick's spokesman Alejandro Garcia said the Lt. Governor is strongly opposed to weakening any laws and "remains wary of the various medicinal use proposals that could become a vehicle for expanding access to this drug.”

Still, Sen. Campbell said she’s hopeful Patrick will change his mind and that her bill emphasizes medically-driven research. 

Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, is also pushing an expansion bill. His would add debilitating medical conditions like terminal cancer, autism and post-traumatic stress disorder to the list that qualify for medical cannabis.

Click the video link above to watch our full interview with Sen. Menendez.