DOTHAN, Ala. – Alabama is a signature away from its own heartfelt medical marijuana plan.
Last night, the Alabama Senate voted 20-9 to accept changes made when the House approved the bill earlier on Thursday. Its fate is now in Gov. Kay Ivey’s hands. If she signs it into law, Alabama would be the 37th state to legalize medical marijuana.
In a display of compassion and courage rarely seen in Alabama politics, Sen. Tim Melson, R- Florence, the sponsor of the bill, and Rep. Mike Ball, R- Madison, deserve kudos for humanizing the issue of marijuana as medicine. It’s about healing, not getting high.
From Mike Cason’s report: A former state trooper and state investigator, Ball wiped tears from his face as he talked about how he came to support medical marijuana and how minds have changed in the House, which in 2013 gave medical marijuana legislation the Shroud Award as the “deadest bill” of the year.
“I knew that there was so much preconceived notion and bias about this issue,” Ball said. “And when people think of marijuana they thought of ‘Cheech and Chong.’ And so, I knew that people, in order to understand what this is about, they needed to see the people.”
“This is just a happy day for me and a great burden has been lifted,” Ball said.
Melson and Ball both oppose recreational use of marijuana.
“This is the way that medical cannabis should be dealt with in a state that has no desire to do recreational,” Ball said.
Compassion. Courage. A chance to be in the Top 40? Alabama is growing like a weed.
