A key Alabama Senate committee on Wednesday approved a bill to legalize medical marijuana, sending it to the full floor for consideration. The legislation, introduced last week by Sen. Tim Melson (R), would allow people with qualifying conditions to access cannabis for therapeutic purposes. It cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee 8-3 after a very brief discussion and now heads to the full chamber. Melson is the same lawmaker who sponsored a similar bill that was approved by the full Senate last year but which later died without a House vote amid the coronavirus pandemic. This latest proposal would establish an 11-member Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission to implement regulations and oversee licensing. To qualify for the program, patients would have to be diagnosed with one of about 20 conditions, including anxiety, sleep disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and intractable pain.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 02/03/2021 10:42:00