Alabama Senate committee approves medical marijuana that would be taxed at 2.5%

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April 22, 2015

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would allow medical marijuana to be used as a treatment for certain conditions.

The committee’s 4-3 vote marked a major milestone for medical marijuana advocates who have repeatedly tried and failed to advance legislation during past legislative sessions.

Under the bill, marijuana could be used to treat 25 different conditions. Patients seeking the drug would be required to go through an evaluation process, including a discussion of all the other potential treatments for their condition. If they went on to be approved to receive medical marijuana, they would be required to carry an ID card allowing them or a caregiver to purchase between 2.5 and 10 ounces of marijuana per month, depending on which class (I, II, or III) they fell into.

The bill still likely faces insurmountable odds in the full senate.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro), said medical marijuana would give a much-needed new treatment option to Alabamians who suffer from pain associated with numerous illnesses, some of which are terminal.

“We have people in the audience in chronic pain who find this is one of the better treatments for them,” he said during the committee hearing Wednesday.

Sen. Phil Williams (R-Rainbow City), one of the Senate’s staunchest conservatives, opposed the bill, saying he was concerned with the potential for it to lead to addictions.

“I have seen too many messed up lives and seen the devastation that drugs, beginning with marijuana, (which is) cause for me to never feel good about this bill,” he said.

Under the bill, non-profit cooperatives would grow and sell the marijuana and it would be taxed by the state at 2.5 percent.