The medical cannabis bill introduced at the beginning of February makes another step forward. The House Judiciary Committee amended and voted to approve SB 46 to a full House vote. This comes just over a month after the Senate approved the measure and sent it to the House.

Senate Bill 46

SB 46 established the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. It would be responsible for the creation of the medical cannabis program across the state. It would also oversee licensing. There are currently 20 different qualifying conditions under SB 46 that could apply for a medical cannabis registration card. But there are still several changes to come. 

Though the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission will be created, they can’t add any additional medical conditions to the qualifiying list. That is to remain in the hands of the lawmakers. However, the Commission can strongly recommend certain conditions for lawmakers to consider. 

Amendments

The House Judiciary Committee voted and approved 10 different amendments for SB 46. Some are positive motions towards legalization while others activists have concerns over. The amendments breakdown as follows:

• Regulators have to hold a local public hearing before issuing a cannabis business license.
• There will be no reciprocity for out-of-state patients.
• A state health officer can appoint one member to the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission.
• Instead of receiving 30 percent for research, only 15 percent of proceeds will go to research.
• Every business must review the state’s contract for seed-to-sale tracking every five years to keep their license.
• Licenses physicians and pharmacists have access to the seed-to-sale report.
• Municipalities and counties in unincorporated regions can vote to not allow cannabis businesses in their area. 
• Clarification on what a caregiver is
• Clarifies the bill’s “intent” for medical cannabis only. There is not a segway to allow for recreational cannabis legalization
• Transparency requirements for businesses

Activist Opposition

Currently, patients can only consume capsules, lozenges, oils, suppositories, or topical patches of medical cannabis. Raw cannabis cannot be smoked, vaped, or added to food for consumption. This severely limits the availability of products and it’s effectiveness according to activists. 

However the biggest concern is for patients who have chronic or untreatable/intractable pain. They can only receive a medical cannabis recommendation when “conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy is contraindicated or has proved ineffective.” This requires patients to continue their opioid medications or ineffective medical plans for an extended time. This helps the doctor track their progress according to state guidelines. Only when requirements are met can a patient receive a recommendation. Unfortunately this can take an undeterminable amount of time.

This extended period can cause more harm to people in the long run than just switching them to medical cannabis, argue activists. But lawmakers seem adamant on their decisions right now. 

SB 46 now faces a full House chamber vote before moving on to the final step at the governor’s desk. Currently, Governor Kay Ivey (R) hasn’t made any public comment on how she feels about the medical cannabis bill. But there is suspicion that she may veto the bill or let it pass without action. 

As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest. Make sure to check back for more cannabis and hemp related news.