Alabama’s House of Representatives is set to consider medical cannabis legislation following the bill’s approval by the chamber’s Health Committee on Thursday.
Chey Garrigan, executive director of the Alabama Cannabis Industry Association, said the organization estimates that more than 250,000 Alabamians would qualify for medical cannabis under the legislation.
“Thirty-nine states in the nation have already legalized medical marijuana in some form and allow their citizens to get the health benefits of a plant that is commonly grown and used throughout the world. … Much of the money collected from taxes and fees on medical marijuana will be used for medical research to better understand the proper dosage and methodology of medical cannabis. We look forward to this legislation improving health outcomes and funding research for even more benefits in the future.” – Garrigan in a statement
The proposal cleared the chamber’s Judiciary Committee last week.
The measure covers 14 qualifying conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety or panic disorder, Crohn’s Disease, fibromyalgia, Tourette’s, spasticity associated with motor neuron diseases and multiple sclerosis or a spinal cord injury, sickle cell anemia, terminal illnesses, HIV and AIDS-related weight loss, epilepsy, cancer, persistent nausea, autism, and chronic pain for which other medications have already proven to be ineffective.
The Health Committee-approved version removed menopause or premenstrual syndrome from the qualifying condition list.
The bill prohibits smoking and edibles, calling instead for tablets and capsules, “non-sugarcoated gelatinous” cubes, topicals, patches, suppositories, liquids or oils, and products for use with a nebulizer.
A previous version of the bill has already passed the state Senate.
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