Title:
Alabama medical marijuana legislation passes House committee after hearing today!
Message:
While medical marijuana bills have been introduced in Alabama for several years now, it is exciting to report that the newest bill, H.B. 642, was heard today at 9:00 a.m. in the Alabama House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Marcel Black (D-Colbert). In a very exciting step, the Judiciary Committee approved the bill and advanced it to the House floor, which has never happened before in Alabama’s history.
You can take action by urging your Alabama legislators to support seriously ill patients and H.B. 642.
If it seems like medical marijuana legislation is being introduced everywhere these days, that’s because it is. Now Alabama can be added to the list. Rep. Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham) has been working with our allies, the Drug Policy Alliance, who assisted her in drafting the bill. H.B. 642, the Michael Phillips Compassionate Care Act of Alabama, is a great medical marijuana bill and is very similar to MPP’s 2009 model bill. It includes a good list of serious medical conditions that research has shown marijuana helps with, and patients may possess 2.5 ounces of processed medicine and cultivate six marijuana plants in an enclosed, locked facility. The bill also includes distribution by non-profit compassion centers. Unfortunately, Rep. Todd acknowledged that with only five days remaining in the legislative session the bill does not have a significant chance of winning final passage this session. Nonetheless, we must maximize our chances by letting Alabama legislators know how important this compassionate issue is to us.
It’s never easy to pass medical marijuana legislation, and legislators have been particularly slow to act in the South, where no state has an effective medical marijuana law. But many legislators are starting to realize that medical marijuana has strong, bipartisan support from the public (81% of the public to be exact, including 72% of Republicans), and that marijuana has proven efficacy in treating pain, nausea, spasticity, loss of appetite, and other symptoms of serious, debilitating conditions. The American Academy of HIV Medicine, American Public Health Association, American Nurses Association, and dozens of other medical and health organizations also support medical marijuana access. But as long as ignorance exists, we still need you to contact your elected officials and tell them that this bill is literally a life-and-death matter for many seriously ill Alabamians. When you hear back from legislators send their responses on to state@mpp.org so we can use this information in our lobbying efforts.
If you are a patient, a loved one, a medical professional, or a member of law enforcement or the clergy who might be interested in speaking out please contact us at state@mpp.org to see how you can be of special help in passing this legislation. Please include your nine-digit ZIP code so we can identify your legislators, and please share your connection with medical marijuana.
Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please pass this message on to other supporters, so that they too can speak out to protect patients who could benefit from medical marijuana.
