HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A group of district attorneys from across Alabama are urging state lawmakers to oppose a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state.
The bill is sponsored by Senator Tim Melson of Florence. It has already passed the state Senate and the House Health Committee.
The legislation would allow doctors to recommend medical marijuana for patients with a range of conditions including seizures, chronic pain, and PTSD. Patients would receive a medical marijuana card and be placed on a registry. The bill would not legalize recreational marijuana.
Twenty-three of Alabama’s 42 district attorneys signed on to a letter to the legislature arguing that legalizing medical marijuana in Alabama would have devastating effects on Alabamians. The letter states that marijuana is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” and cites several studies about the harmful effects of marijuana. District attorneys from Madison, Morgan, Marshall, Colbert and Lawrence counties are among those who signed the letter.
The district attorneys also argue that those who stand to profit from the legalization of medical marijuana, such as those who would sell it, are pushing an agenda to deepen their pockets and not thinking about the potentially harmful effects.
House Speaker Mac McCutcheon has said he expects the House will vote on the bill before the end of the session.
