A bill that would clear the way for medical marijuana to be grown, prescribed and used in Alabama cleared its first hurdle last week after getting the green light from the Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee.

The committee voted 6-2 with three abstentions to approve the bill from Alabama Sen. Tim Melson, R-Decatur, after hearing passionate testimony from proponents and opponents of the legislation.

The bill is now eligible to go before the full Senate and may get a floor debate as early as this week.

For her part, Alabama Sen. Malika Sanders-Fortier, D-Selma, is conflicted over the legislation.

“As a community leader, I am very cautious about allowing more things into our community that opens us up to any more problems,” Sanders-Fortier said. “But the research shows that medical marijuana is substantially less addictive than the opioids that have created a crisis and is less harmful to the body than alcohol or tobacco.”

Sanders-Fortier supports use of the plant for medicinal purposes and believes much of the opposition to the measure stems from “cultural concerns.”

“How do we deny those in so much pain relief, that’s not so different from any other medication, just because it’s culturally different from what we are used to?” Sanders-Fortier said. “I won’t deny them the merciful use of medical marijuana that is properly regulated and controlled like other medications.”

Sanders-Fortier said that she found out during the committee hearing that some pediatricians have expressed concern over the use of medical marijuana not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – for that reason, she is considering backing an amendment to ensure the safety of children who might be prescribed medical cannabis or any of its derivatives.

Despite her concerns, however, Sanders-Fortier said two personal stories resonated with her and informed much of her opinion on the topic.

One story came from a constituent whose disease requires expensive medications that often require them to choose between pain relief or basic necessities – access to medical marijuana would be life-changing for this person.

Another came from Mark Coleman, who was skeptical of treating his daughter, Mary Ann, with a marijuana extract but, after trying it, has found it better than any other treatment.

Similar bills have been introduced in the Alabama Legislature in the past, but Melson’s legislation is the first to apparently have the backing to go the distance.

A slate of bills passed by the legislature in the last several years have altered Alabama’s laws to allow for sick residents to access the medical potential of marijuana in the form of cannabidiol, CBD oil, a non-psychoactive derivative of marijuana.

In 2014, the Alabama Legislature approved “Carly’s Law,” which authorized the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to begin researching CBD oil and subsequently begin testing the drug on patients.

A year after “Carly’s Law” was passed, the first round of patients began receiving treatment.

In 2016, the legislature passed “Leni’s Law,” which expanded on the earlier legislation and allowed people with seizure disorders and certain other debilitating medical conditions to possess and use CBD oil inside the state.

Rep. Mike Ball, R-Madison, has led many of these earlier fights and he is still at it with a sister bill to Melson’s, called the CARE Act, which has not yet come up for a committee hearing.

Ball said that he and Melson have worked “hand-in-hand” on the legislation and the Senate version is the one they want to move forward.

Melson’s bill would authorize physicians to prescribe marijuana to patients with certain conditions, who would then receive a medical cannabis card.

Cards would be issued through the Medical Cannabis Commission, which would also oversee the awarding of licenses for the cultivation, production and sale of the plant.

In addition to the bills offered by Melson and Ball, the Alabama Legislature is also looking at a bill from Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, which would make possession of two ounces or less of marijuana a ticketable offense.

 All of this is happening as Alabama hemp farmers begin putting their first plants in the ground, with anticipation that the state’s first harvest will get underway by the end of August.