Senate committee narrowly approves Alabama lottery bill
A Senate committee narrowly approved a state lottery bill on Wednesday. The Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee okayed SB326, sponsored by Huntsville-Republican state Sen. Paul Sanford, by a 3-2 vote. The legislation proposes a constitutional amendment, which the voters would have to approve, that would allow Alabama to join multi-state lottery games only such as Powerball and Mega Millions. The legislative fiscal office estimates the lottery would generate $45 million annually. Alabama is one of only six states — Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, and Utah — without a state lottery.
Sen. Bobby Singleton: “This is the right time to legalize medical marijuana”
Amidst reports that his Medical Marijuana Patient Safe Access Act (SB326) may never make it to the House floor, bill sponsor Senator Bobby Singleton said this morning, “I’m optimistic. We’re early in this process – just halfway through this session – and there’s a process for these things.” In an interview with Alabama Today, Senator Singleton said reports that Rules Committee Chairman Senator Jabo Waggoner called the bill “dead” didn’t diminish his resolve for getting the legislation passed this session. “I respect the Senator and his position – and he may vote against the bill – but we’ll be asking his committee to give the bill consideration.” Sen. Singleton also said that he would consider other options for advancing the bill, including a constitutional amendment. “I’m all for the people’s right to vote. It’s entirely possible that we’ll put it before the people and let them have their say.” The Medical Marijuana Patient Safe Access Act would allow patients with one of 25 “serious medical conditions” to be prescribed marijuana by a qualifying physician. Singleton says he introduced the bill after hearing from constituents who were obtaining marijuana illegally in order to manage chronic pain. The Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled a public hearing on the bill for this Wednesday, but canceled the public comment period at the last minute. Instead, the committee issued a favorable report on the bill by a 4-3 vote. Reports by AL.com suggest that the legislation crossed that hurdle because several Republican members weren’t in attendance on Wednesday: Arthur Orr, Greg Reed and Tom Whatley were absent and Sen. Greg Albritton declined to vote. During the meeting, Sen. Phil Williams raised concerns that the bill would encourage dependency or addiction to other illegal drugs. “I’ve worked with a lot of messed up kids,” he said. “All of those who were addicts never intended to become addicts. But in all cases, marijuana was the gateway drug that led them down that path. I’ve seen too many devastated lives to give my support to this bill.”
Senate committee to hear medical marijuana bill
Wednesday afternoon, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear debate on Alabama joining 23 other states to allow medical marijuana. Medical Marijuana Patient Safe Access Act, Senate Bill 326, sponsored by Sen. Bobby Singleton would allow patients with what the bill defines as “serious medical conditions” to be prescribed marijuana. Qualifying conditions include: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS – Lou Gehrig’s Anorexia. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)/ deficit disorder (ADD). Autism. Bipolar disorder. Cachexia. Cancer. Cerebral palsy. Chronic depression. Chronic pain. Dystonia. Fibromyalgia. Gastrointestinal disorders, including, but not limited to, colitis, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Glaucoma. Lupus Migraine. Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Parkinson’s disease. Persistent muscle spasms, including, but not limited to, spasms associated with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS-Lou Gehrig’s disease), multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease. Post-traumatic stress disorder. Rheumatoid arthritis. Seizures, including, associated with epilepsy. Severe nausea. Tourette’s syndrome. Any other chronic or but not limited to, seizures persistent medical symptom that either: Substantially limits the ability of the person to conduct one or more major life activities as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336). If not alleviated, may cause serious harm to the patient’s safety or physical or mental health. The hearing is scheduled for the Senate Judiciary Committee at 1 p.m. Wednesday in Room 325 of the Alabama Statehouse.
