Title:
Alabama session ends; medical marijuana legislation makes great progress
Message:
Alabama’s session ended on April 22 after the most exciting session for medical marijuana legislation in recent memory. Alabama’s medical marijuana bill, H.B. 642, was approved by the House Judiciary Committee and sent to the House floor! Although it did not receive a floor vote, it is not unusual for progress to take several years.
Much credit goes to Alabamians for Compassionate Care and their leader Loretta Nall for their amazing work advancing the bill out of committee. Also integral in this success were the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham), and 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 for which marijuana has proven benefits, 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.
As Loretta notes on her blog, “There was some opposition to the bill, but, for the first time, those who opposed it actually stated their opposition and agreed to work with us between now and the next session to find common ground.” We are excited to see that compromise come to fruition, so that next year we will be talking about how to pass the House floor and begin work on the Senate.
It’s never easy to pass medical marijuana legislation, but 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.
If you are a patient, a loved one of a patient, 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.
