A Senate-passed bill to legalize medical marijuana in Alabama cleared a key House committee on Wednesday, but not before members also approved a number of amendments to the proposal. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson (R), would allow people with qualifying conditions to access cannabis for therapeutic purposes. The Senate approved the proposal last month, and now the House Judiciary Committee has advanced it in a voice vote. The measure will now head to the House Health Committee before moving to the floor. 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 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, 04/07/2021 16:48:00