Name: Alabama Senate approves medical marijuana bill
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Alabama Senate approves medical marijuana bill

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Montgomery AdvertiserView CommentsThe Alabama Senate voted 22 to 11&nbsp;Thursday&nbsp;to allow the use of medical marijuana for certain medical conditions.&nbsp;The vote on the bill, sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, came after about 5 hours of often intense debate. It goes to the House of Representatives, where it has faced difficulties in the past."There could have been more of an organized effort to slow it down, and I appreciate the body not doing that," Melson said after the vote.&nbsp;"We tried to address some very serious things. I’m not taking this bill lightly. It’s a big step for Alabama, and there’s still a long way to go."Both of Montgomery County's senators -- Republican Will Barfoot of Pike Road and Democrat David Burkette of Montgomery -- voted for the bill.&nbsp;Under Melson's bill, a person 19 years or older&nbsp;looking to use medical cannabis would need a physician to certify that they have a qualifying condition. Those 18 or younger would need a parent to administer cannabis. The patient would have to apply for a medical cannabis card, which would cost no more than $65.&nbsp;Qualifying conditions include anxiety, autism, cancer-related illnesses, Crohn’s Disease, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, HIV/AIDS-related nausea or weight loss, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, Tourette’s Syndrome&nbsp;and conditions causing chronic or intractable pain. An amendment offered by Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile and approved by the Senate on Thursday added menopause and postmenstrual syndrome to the list of covered conditions.Meetings on the bill over the past year brought out many people suffering from medical conditions that they said could only be resolved with cannabis.&nbsp;More:"It’s not the first line of treatment," said Melson, an anesthesiologist by training.&nbsp;"There’s a couple of people who have said this isn’t a miracle drug, but it can work miracles with people who need it."The senator has championed the issue in the last two legislative sessions and&nbsp;said during debate on Thursday that his chief concern was allowing patients who might benefit from cannabis to obtain it."I will say there’s been a lot of concerns about big money, that this was only a way to get people to make money," he said.&nbsp;"My whole goal is to get it to patients who need it."Smoking, vaping, or consuming baked or infused cannabis products — such as&nbsp; brownies or gummy candies — would be forbidden. Patients could consume the cannabis as a tablet or in oil or glycerin form.The bill would also set up an Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, which would oversee patient registries and license medical cannabis facilities in the state.&nbsp;Sen. David Sessions, R-Grand Bay, said during debate he wanted guarantees that Alabama businesses, particularly farmers, would be first in line to benefit, but said he planned to support it.&nbsp;"In this day and time with the opioid crisis, I think we need to find alternative medicines that will help people," he said.Senators made several amendments to the bill, mostly focused on ensuring that Alabama businesses get priority for business licenses granted by the commission. Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, passed an amendment that would require 20 to 25% of licenses granted by the commission to minority-owned businesses.&nbsp;Barfoot offered an amendment to prevent the use of medical cannabis in day care centers, which passed 30-2.&nbsp; Melson offered his own amendment to cap the daily dosage in the bill to 75 mg a day, saying afterward that cap made legislators "more comfortable" with the measure.&nbsp;The most outspoken skeptic of the bill on the floor was Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, who expressed skepticism about the efficacy of medical marijuana and said the bill limited the ability of new businesses to get into the business. Orr introduced multiple amendments during the debate on Thursday."I'm all for Alabama farmers if we have to go down this road," said Orr, who then referenced George Orwell's Animal Farm:&nbsp;"But now some animals more equal than others."Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, and OB/GYN, objected to what he described as avoiding&nbsp;the standard drug approval process."We’re bypassing basically all of that," he said.&nbsp;"We’re calling something a medicine that as a physician, I can’t write a prescription for it. A pharmacist can’t fill it. A drug store can’t stock it."Orr also offered an amendment to drop the maximum daily dosage of THC from 75 mg to 50 mg. The amendment was defeated. The bill was also amended to prevent the commission from adding new covered conditions. The Legislature would have to approve bills expanding that list.&nbsp;The debate lengthened considerably after Orr felt the body mishandled one of the amendments he offered during the debate. The senator said he feared the bill would lead Alabama toward recreational marijuana in 10 to 15 years, which he said would be a "detrimental and damning thing" for the state.&nbsp;"Suffer me a little while longer," Orr said.&nbsp;"If I wanted to stop the bill, I could stop the bill ... I've got enough SOB in me that I would do it." &nbsp;Most of Orr's amendments were defeated, though he did get an amendment on limiting the amount of THC that can be used in medical cannabis for minors.&nbsp;Melson sponsored a similar bill last year which passed the Senate 17 to 9. But it ran into opposition in the House of Representatives and was changed to a medical cannabis study commission. House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, has expressed wariness over the legislation. He was noncommittal about the bill on Thursday, but declined to list specific concerns.&nbsp;"We're just in a wait-and-see mode," McCutcheon said.Melson joked after the Senate adjourned that McCutcheon "wanted to wait and see if we had a bill or not." He said he had "good conversations" with the speaker about getting the bill to the floor.&nbsp;"I’m not here to do something that’s going to make people money or make somebody&nbsp;successful," he said.&nbsp;"I’m just here to help patients. There will be changes, it’s obvious."Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman at 334-240-0185 or blyman@gannett.com.View Comments

Montgomery AdvertiserView CommentsThe Alabama Senate voted 22 to 11&nbsp;Thursday&nbsp;to allow the use of medical marijuana for certain medical conditions.&nbsp;The vote on the bill, sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, came after about 5 hours of often intense debate. It goes to the House of Representatives, where it has faced difficulties in the past."There could have been more of an organized effort to slow it down, and I appreciate the body not doing that," Melson said after the vote.&nbsp;"We tried to address some very serious things. I’m not taking this bill lightly. It’s a big...

Alabama Senate approves medical marijuana bill

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