Marijuana continues to fuel public debate, with arguments coming from all sides on the efficacy of its use for medicinal purposes. There are no conclusive studies currently available that confirm either position, although each will tell you that their expert is “the” expert. At the present time, over thirty of the fifty states have enacted some form of legalization with the majority being for “medical use”.

 

Several states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational use of marijuana. In mid-2019, the Surgeon General of the United States issued a warning against the use of marijuana.  The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) still has not approved its use for medicinal purposes. In effect, the states are taking it upon themselves to determine what the FDA has not yet validated. Even so, notwithstanding the contradictory research on marijuana, the other effects of the proposed legislation on the wellbeing of the State of Alabama are worthy of significant debate.

  To read the full report (updated in February 2020 to reflect the filed version of the bill), click the link below.