Robert Bentley signs Leni’s Law, decriminalizes medical marijuana oil in Alabama
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley on Wednesday signed HB61, also known as Leni’s Law, which makes medical cannabidiol (CBD) available to Alabamians. CBD oil came into the Alabama lexicon with the passage of “Carly’s Law” last year, a piece of legislation which provided the University of Alabama at Birmingham the ability to conduct clinical trials of the cannabis-based medicine. But “Carly’s Law” left out many desperate children in Alabama deemed too sick to participate in the trials. Leni’s Law, introduced by Madison-Republican Rep. Mike Ball, was the solution. Named for Leni Young, a 4-year-old Alabama girl whose family was forced to move to Oregon to gain access to the medicine after she was excluded from the CBD study, Leni’s Law decriminalizes the possession of CBD oil and gives caretakers the ability to discuss the use thereof with physicians. “As a physician, I believe it is extremely important to give patients with a chronic or debilitating disease the option to consider every possible option for treatment,” Governor Robert Bentley said. “With Leni’s Law, citizens in Alabama will have access to cannabidiol that may help with treatment. Through a study at UAB, we have seen the benefit of cannabidiol to help with chronic seizures. I hope we will be able to collect information that will determine the efficacy of this substance in other chronic debilitating diseases.” The law will go into effect on June 1.
Senate committee hears arguments over decriminalization of cannabis oil
The Senate Judiciary Committee met Wednesday in a room filled to the brim with desperate families and ailing children. The contingent was on hand to hear the committee discuss SB115 from Sen. Paul Sanford (R-Huntsville), which would decriminalize possession of the seizure-reducing drug cannabidiol (CBD). The bill is the Senate version of HB61 from Rep. Mike Ball. Ball brought forth the legislation, also known as “Leni’s Law,” after the previously passed “Carly’s Law” left many needy children out of the CBD studies. Ball’s legislation is named for Leni Young, a 4-year-old Alabama girl whose family was forced to move to Oregon to gain access to the medicine after she was excluded from the CBD study. According to Amy Young, Leni’s mother, access to the marijuana-derived medication has allowed Leni to improve by leaps and bounds. The little girl is now verbal and able to sit on her own, two things she was not able to do before moving across the country. Ten minutes after the meeting was set to begin, the contingent was told to move to the seventh floor. Sanford introduced the legislation, referencing Leni and the failures of “Carly’s Law” to include more families. “Basically, an Alabama family has turned into refugees,” Sanford said. “I believe government is basically standing in the way right now.” Sanford said the new law would provided families with an “affirmative defense” against prosecution for possession of the medicinal oil. “These parents are not criminals,” Sanford said. “They’re trying to help their children.” Despite a public hearing being scheduled and there being no plans for a vote on the bill, Sen. Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) immediately called for a vote on the legislation. “We’re talking about the lives of children,” Singleton said, noting his disdain for opponents of the measure. “I think we need to go and vote on this bill and get it out of committee and give these children what they need.” Committee chairman Sen. Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) noted Singleton’s suggestion, but added that each side has a right to plead its case. One of the opponents was Dr. Roxanne Travelute, president of the Jefferson County Medical Society. Travelute contended that the bill’s allowance of CBD oil containing as much as 3-percent THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana, would cause addiction and neurological disorders, as well as widespread use for illnesses the drug was not designed to treat. Another opponent was Dr. Shannon Murphy, speaking on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), who opposed the bill on the basis that CBD oil attained by parents may not be safe for patients. “We all sympathize greatly with these families,” Murphy said. “But as physicians, our Hippocratic Oath requires that we first do no harm.” Dr. Gina Dawson spoke in favor of the bill, saying that many of the claims made by opponents are patently false. Dawson noted that the AAP opposes legalization but has said exceptions should be made for “compassionate use.” She cited drugabuse.gov, which says that abuse of CBD oil is almost nonexistent, and remarked that the Epilepsy Foundation has called for legislation providing access to CBD oil to be passed. Dawson also noted that CBD oil is expensive and has no street value. Parents would willingly be on the hook for the cost of the medicine, but drug dealers would not be interested in a high-cost, low-potency drug for sale on the black market. Another proponent, Joe Church, noted that the ingredients in Tylenol or Ibuprofen are more dangerous than CBD oil, as are the mind-numbing drugs these children must take every day. He also alleged that much of the opposition to Leni’s Law comes from GW Pharmaceuticals, which has $1.1 billion invested in its stranglehold over the manufacturing of the oil. The committee is scheduled to take the legislation up again after spring break.
Alabama legislative preview: March 21 – March 25, 2016
The Alabama House of Representatives will convene at 1 p.m. Tuesday, and the Senate an hour later, as state lawmakers gather for the 17th day of the regular session. This week, the Senate will take up SB89 from Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), which would require Alabama public school students to pass a civics test as a requirement for graduation. Orr’s legislation has been on the agenda for a while, but has likely been stalled due to a focus on more contentious issues. The body is also slated to take up SB148 from Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville), which would require all vehicle passengers to wear a safety belt, and SB114 from Sen. Paul Sanford (R-Huntsville), which would regulate fantasy contests and “exempt fantasy contests from certain criminal penalties associated with gambling activity.” The bill would increase spending by the Attorney General’s office, which would be responsible for overseeing such activities, by $1 million in the first year. Also on the Senate’s agenda this week are SB14 from Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa), which would allow citizens to carry a firearm in their vehicle without a permit, and SB205 from Sanford, which would bar the Alabama Department of Human Resources from renewing health center licenses for an “abortion clinic or reproductive health center” within 2,000 feet of a school. In the House, lawmakers will take up HB46 from Rep. Alan Boothe (R-Troy), which would allow Alabama spirit makers to sell fifths for off-premise consumption. The body is also slated to debate HB13 from Rep. Alan Harper (R-Northport), which would allow citizens to vote on whether or not to allow a lottery in the state – the legislation provides no details on how proceeds from such an operation would be used, which is likely why it hasn’t been discussed thus far. HB218 from Rep. Dickie Drake (R-Leeds) is also on the agenda and would require that all elementary school students be instructed in cursive writing before the end of their third grade year. HB244 from Rep. Connie Rowe (R-Jasper) will also be taken up this week – the bill prohibits law enforcement from requiring victims of a sexual offense to take a polygraph examination. Committee hearings get underway Tuesday, though the vast majority take place on Wednesday, beginning with the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will take up SB237 from Sen. Quinton Ross (D-Montgomery). Ross’s legislation would make it unlawful for employers to request information regarding arrests and convictions on employment applications. The committee will also take up Sanford’s SB115, the Senate version of “Leni’s Law” from Rep. Mike Ball (R-Madison), which would decriminalize possession of the marijuana-based medicine cannibidiol. The Senate Committee on Constitution, Ethics and Elections will debate SB360 from Sen. Tom Whatley (R-Auburn), which would require voters to register as a Democrat or Republican before voting in a primary. Voters who do not will not be allowed to vote on party candidates, only on ballot measures and nonpartisan issues. The House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will take up HB393 from Rep. Ken Johnson (R-Moulton), which would allow for the growing of industrial hemp in the state for use in a variety of products. The House Committee on Mobile County Legislation will mull over HB248 from Rep. Napoleon Bracy (D-Mobile), which would establish a $10.10 minimum wage in Mobile County. At the close of business this week, legislators will adjourn for spring break.
Alabama legislative preview: Mar. 14 – Mar. 18, 2016
The Legislative Session resumes Tuesday when the Alabama House of Representatives reconvenes at 1 p.m and the Senate an hour later. The Senate is slated to take up a slew of measures this week, including SB89 from Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) which would require all Alabama public school students to pass a civics test to graduate. SB148 from Sen. Jim McClendon (R-Springville), which would require all passengers in a vehicle to wear a safety belt, will also come up this week. The measure met with opposition when last it appeared on the floor, as lawmakers questioned the need for furthering meddling in people’s private matters. The “Fantasy Contests Act,” SB114 from Sen. Paul Sanford (R-Huntsville), will also come up for discussion this week, as well as SB14 from Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa), which would authorize carrying weapons in vehicles without a permit. Over in the House, lawmakers will take up their version of the “Fantasy Contests Act,” as well as the lottery bill from Rep. Alan Harper (R-Northport). HB13 would allow people to vote on whether or not a lottery is allowed in the state, though it provides no details on how profits from such a lottery would be allocated. The body will also take up three bills from Rep. Mike Jones (R-Andalusia): HB332 which would abolish common law marriages; HB333, which would change laws related to judge’s ruling in divorce cases; and HB334, which would provide a process for grandparents to petition for visitation rights with their grandchildren. A slew of alcohol-related legislation is also scheduled to go before the House. The House was scheduled to take on the General Fund budget this week, but the activity calendar makes no mention of the legislation coming before the body. The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry is set to take up a bill that would legalize industrial hemp in the state on Wednesday and the Senate Judiciary Committee is slated to take up SB97 from Sen. Gerald Dial (R-Lineville), which would allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed on state and public school property. The Alabama Prison Transformation Initiative Act will once again appear before the Senate Committee on General Fund Finance and Taxation, where a vote is scheduled to take place. The House Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security will take up HB98 from Rep. David Standridge (R-Hayden), which would provide a lifetime pistol permit to retired military veterans and the House Committee on Health will debate HB159 from Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-Birmingham), which would allow doctors to decline services that violates their conscience. The House Judiciary Committee will take up two marijuana-related bills: HB61, also known as “Leni’s Law,” from Rep. Mike Ball (R-Madison), which would decriminalize possession of the seizure-reducing medication cannabidiol, and HB257 from Rep. Patricia Todd (R-Birmingham), which would make possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana punishable by only a fine.
UAB provides first results of ‘Carly’s Law’ study
The University of Alabama at Birmingham released results from its Cannabidiol Program study, which was created to test the efficacy and tolerability of CBD oil, a marijuana-derived medicine with only trace amounts of the high-inducing chemical THC meant to assist in the quelling of seizures. According to the results, half of the 51 patients saw sustained improvement of seizure control – specifically a 32 to 45 percent decline in seizures depending on the dose. Two patients were seizure-free at the end of the study and nine others were forced to drop out due to side effects or ineffectiveness. Currently, 49 children and 30 adults are enrolled in the studies. “The studies are ongoing, and we have a lot more to learn; but these preliminary findings are encouraging,” Jerzy Szaflarski, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Department of Neurology and principal investigator of the adult study said in a press release. “Among our goals was to determine the safety of CBD oil therapy, and it appears that, in many cases, patients tolerate the oil quite well. The evidence of seizure reduction gives us hope that, the more we learn about CBD oil, the better we will be able to tailor this therapy to provide relief for those with severe epilepsy.” The study began in April of 2015 after the legislature unanimously passed “Carly’s Law” the year before. While the legislation approved the study of the CBD oil on patients with intractable seizures, it has drawn the ire of many CBD supporters who complain that the studies aren’t inclusive enough. “Leni’s Law,” sponsored by Rep. Mike Ball (R-Madison), seeks to decriminalize the oil at the center of the UAB studies in order to make it more readily available to desperate citizens throughout the state. The law’s namesake, Leni Young, and her family fled Alabama to seek relief in Oregon. Despite having been on the front lines of the push to pass “Carly’s Law,” Leni was left out of the initial study. While the medication that Leni receives is slightly different from CBD oil, or more specifically the epidiolex being given to patients in the “Carly’s Law” studies, she has improved by leaps and bounds since moving to Oregon. UAB’s results will be described at the annual American Academy of Neurology meeting in Vancouver, Canada, which takes place April 15 through 21.
Two Alabama mothers seek assistance for ailing children
Kari Forsyth and Jody Mitchell, two mothers from Athens and Decatur respectively, travelled to Montgomery Tuesday to meet with Alabama lawmakers to discuss “Leni’s Law,” a bill from Rep. Mike Ball (R-Madison) that would decriminalize the possession of CBD oil and give caretakers the ability to discuss the use thereof with physicians. CBD oil came into the Alabama lexicon with the passage of “Carly’s Law” last year, a piece of legislation which provided the University of Alabama at Birmingham the ability to conduct clinical trials of the cannabis-based medicine. But “Carly’s Law” left out many desperate children in Alabama, including Forsyth’s daughter Chesney, who was deemed too sick to participate. Mitchell’s son, Robert, was forced to leave the trials because the oil was interacting poorly with his other medications. According to Forsyth and Mitchell, no Senators were available to meet with them and every Representative they met with mentioned UAB – the university at the center of the “Carly’s Law” trials but mentioned nowhere in Ball’s legislation. “Somewhere, everybody knows that UAB wants in it,” Forsyth said of the new bill. “All I’ve gotten today is that they’re trying to get UAB in it.” The prospect of involving UAB in Ball’s legislation concerns both mothers because the namesake of “Leni’s Law” was denied entrance into the CBD studies and forced to move to Oregon. “Anything that this bill does wrong, we’re out of here,” Forsyth said, who has already acquired a medical marijuana card in Oregon. “We can’t wait for them anymore,” Mitchell said. “We need help now, like yesterday.” According to the duo, Iowa has obtained a copy of “Leni’s Law,” edited it and plans to bring it before the legislature next week. For his part, Ball says his legislation, which is currently pending in the House Judiciary Committee, should come up for a hearing next week. Currently, the two desperate mothers have more questions than answers, more concerns than assurances. The study at UAB, contrary to popular belief, was not established to test CBD’s efficacy but to test the effect of high doses on patients, Leni is currently receiving 45mg a day in Oregon, while Jody’s son was receiving 800mg a day before being pulled from the trials. The mothers were also curious as to how the $1 million pulled from the Education Trust Fund last year to fund the study was used, as GW Pharmaceuticals, who produced the Epidiolex used in the studies, generally funds its own clinical trials. Forsyth noted that she is in close contact with 25 to 30 parents of suffering children who have already given their children CBD oil illegally. She hasn’t, afraid that doing so would turn her into a criminal. “Leni’s Law,” in its original incarnation, would eliminate such fears. Only time will tell if that will be the case or if Alabama will lose more families opting to migrate to heal their children.
