April 19, 2021 Group Watch: AL Medical Marijuana Bill Headed to House
The House Health Committee approved legislation by Senator Tim Melson that would create a medical cannabis program in the state. The Senate-passed measure now heads to the full House for a vote. Melson’s bill would allow the use of medical cannabis for more than a dozen conditions, including cancer, HIV/AIDS, depression, sickle-cell anemia and chronic pain. The legislation would allow cannabis to be administered as capsules, tablets, gelatins and vaporized oils. Smoking, vaping or consuming cannabis in the form of edibles would be banned. Physicians would need to complete education and training to dispense medical cannabis, and patients would need a recommendation from a physician to obtain it. Patients would also need to apply for a cannabis card, costing no more than $65. Cannabis would only be obtainable through licensed dispensaries, which would be forbidden from advertising or marketing products. The bill would also create a state medical cannabis commission to regulate licensing and cultivation of medical cannabis. Before it passed the Health Committee, there was debate. Read some of what proponents and opponents had to say, here.
