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Medical Marijuana

News / State

Cannabis industry group promotes hemp, marijuana industries

Monday, the Alabama Cannabis Industry Association (ALCIA) announced that they have launched their new website. “During the COVID-19 pandemic it has never been more important to offer natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals,” said Alabama Cannabis Industry Association Executive Director Chey Garrigan. “This pandemic has shown that Americans need natural remedies that are grown and manufactured by … Continued
April 21, 2020

Families plea for lawmakers to pass medical marijuana bill

As lawmakers and press roamed the halls of the Alabama State House on Thursday, three families were gathered in an office, all eager to be heard by their representatives and all fighting for the same cause.  SB165, a bill called the Compassion Act, sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, would make Alabama the 34th state … Continued
March 9, 2020

Medical marijuana bill “is not about getting high” — it’s “about getting well.”

More than half of U.S. states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana in some form. Last week, the Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee passed SB165 on an 8 to 1 vote. If the measure becomes law, it will allow Alabama residents to obtain medical marijuana under rigorously imposed conditions. Known as the Compassion … Continued
February 26, 2020

Senate Committee approves medical marijuana bill

Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee gave a favorable report to a bill that would allow Alabama residents to obtain medical marijuana on an 8 to 1 vote. Senate Bill 167 was sponsored by State Senator Tim Melson, R-Florence. SB165 would create a tightly regulated network of state-licensed marijuana growers, dispensaries, transporters, and processors. Patients would … Continued
February 20, 2020

McCutcheon is in “wait and see mode” on medical marijuana bill

Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives Mac McCutcheon (R-Monrovia) last Thursday was asked by reporters where he stood on pending medical marijuana legislation. “I am in a wait and see mode,” McCutcheon told reporters. “The sponsor of the bill has done a lot of work.” On Tuesday, State Senator Tim Melson (R-Florence) introduced a … Continued
February 17, 2020

Medical marijuana legislation to be introduced this week

Thursday, State Senator Tim Melson (R-Florence) told the Alabama Political Reporter that he anticipates introducing his medical marijuana legislation on Tuesday. Melson said that he and the Alabama Legislative Services Agency were working on the final language in the bill. A key final sticking point is how businesses can deal with medical marijuana users in … Continued
February 10, 2020

Alabama Republicans praise Ivey’s State of the State speech

Tuesday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) laid out an ambitious agenda in her annual State of the State Address that includes: building three new prisons, a three percent teacher pay raise, a two percent state employee pay raise, mental health crisis centers, broadband expansion, hiring more state troopers, workforce development, a governor’s study group on … Continued
February 5, 2020

Marshall opposes medical marijuana bill

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) on Monday sent letters to state legislators urging them to oppose legislation that would allow approved medical providers to prescribe cannabis for patients they believe would benefit from it. Marshall expressed concerns about addiction to marijuana and worried that legalization of medical marijuana in the state would be similar … Continued
January 9, 2020

Alabama Medical Cannabis Study Commission approves draft bill

Friday, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Study Commission voted to recommend legislation that would legalize marijuana for persons with diagnosed medical conditions. The commission voted twelve in favor and three against. Three members abstained. State Health Office Scott Harris voted against the bill. The proposed bill would allow farmers to grow marijuana, doctors to prescribe marijuana … Continued
December 23, 2019

Medical experts sharply divided at Alabama Medical Cannabis Study Commission

Thursday, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Study Commission heard from two highly respected medical expert witnesses with widely divergent views on the wisdom of passing medical marijuana legislation. Bertha K. Madras is a professor of psychobiology in the Department of Psychiatry and the chair of the Division of Neurochemistry at Harvard Medical School, She served as … Continued
November 13, 2019