MEDICAL POT IN ALABAMA?

Lawmaker Considers Bill To Legalize Medical Marijuana

Alabama could be one of more than a dozen states to consider legalizing
medical marijuana if a Huntsville-area representative introduces a
compassionate use bill this session.

Rep. Laura Hall, D-Madison, said she plans to officially announce a
Compassionate Use Act for Medical Marijuana as part of her legislative
agenda at a Huntsville meeting Feb. 17.

"I don't expect (the people in my district) to be opposed to it," Hall
said. "I would expect that they would be supportive of the idea of
giving it to those people who have a need for it."

Medical Marijuana Laws

Rep. Laura Hall, D- Madison, might sponsor a bill legalizing medical
marijuana for people with certain illnesses and a doctor's
prescription.

Maine laws allow patients, with a doctor's advice, to use marijuana
for certain conditions.

Vermont laws allow medical marijuana for people with debilitating
conditions. Hall said there is a chance she would not introduce the
bill, but only if she gets overwhelmingly negative reaction from her
district.

"The bill will probably not be completed until after I hold the
meeting," Hall said. "I want to get negative and positive feedback
about it."

Although the bill is still in draft form, Hall said two parts of it
are definite: it would only allow the use of marijuana with a doctor's
prescription, and the drug could only be prescribed for certain conditions.

"It would have to be disease-specific," Hall said. "We're really a
very conservative state. It would certainly not be anything
outlandish."

She said she doesn't know yet how many or what conditions the bill
might list, but she wants to include multiple sclerosis.

Marijuana is sometimes prescribed to aid the treatment of glaucoma,
AIDS, anorexia and pain management. Marijuana also eases nausea in
cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The bill is based on medical marijuana legislation introduced in
states like California, said Naomi Long, national field coordinator
for the Drug Policy Alliance.

Medical marijuana is legal, in some form, in 11 states.

The alliance, based in Washington, D.C., works to reform national and
state-level drug policy and end the war on drugs, Long said.

Hall said Long, who helps state organizations and lawmakers draft drug
legislation, has done much of the research for the bill.

"But we're looking at other legislation to determine how far this
state is willing to go," Hall said. "I do believe the state would
tolerate it, but not like other states."

Long said she was surprised by a July 2004 Mobile Register/University
of South Alabama poll in which 75 percent of 417 respondents approved
of medical marijuana if used under a doctor's supervision.

"That came across our desk and we thought, 'Wow, Alabama,'" she
said.

Steve Gordon, vice chair of the state Libertarian Party, has also
given Hall input. Gordon said he first discussed medicinal marijuana
legislation on a trip to Washington, D.C., last year.

"I wanted to help drum up some support for it," he said.

Gordon, whose wife is a doctor, said he supports medicinal marijuana
because it once helped a friend battle AIDS.

Gordon predicted a political battle over the bill.

"So the legislators are going to be hesitant to act in this regard,"
Gordon said. "I believe if it passes, that would be great. If it
doesn't, somebody will probably do a rewrite and make it a referendum.

"If they're too politically scared to vote yes on the bill, they can
always let the people decide," Gordon said.

Long agrees the bill could cause a statewide stir, but said she hopes
to help Hall tell her district and her colleagues about its benefits.

"Whether the bill has a chance is the big political battle," she said.
"But I think it's something most people will understand.

Included on the list of states that allow some form of medical
marijuana use are Maryland, Washington and Colorado.