The Alabama Legislature goes into session tomorrow, but already lawmakers are not shying away from controversial topics. State Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, is bringing back his medical marijuana legislation for 2021.

The legalization of medical marijuana is an issue that Melson brought up in 2019 and in 2020. Both times, the Alabama Senate narrowly passed the legislation and both times, the decriminalization of medical marijuana failed to get out of committee in the Alabama House of Representatives. This year, Melson’s bill has been pre-filed in the state Senate as Senate Bill 46.

State legislators in Alabama, Kentucky and South Carolina have filed or pre-filed bills establishing such medical marijuana programs, according to a Reckon report.

These states would join Mississippi, the latest state to adopt a medical cannabis program, making it the 35th state to legalize medical cannabis.

In Alabama, state Sen. Tim Melson plans to file a medical cannabis bill similar to the one he filed in 2020.

This will be the third year Melson has presented a medical cannabis bill in the state legislature.

The South may be quietly adjusting to the new legalization landscape. But for now, the good ol’ white guys prevail, and Christians have righteous morality straight from the Bible on their side.

As of the November elections, there are now 15 states and the District of Columbia who have legalized adult use. There are some 36 states that enacted or voted to enact medical marijuana laws.

The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) wants to remind eligible hemp growers and processors/handlers the deadline to apply for a hemp license for the 2021 crop is November 30, 2020 by 5:00 pm (CST). ADAI will accept hemp applications using their new online application system: agi.alabama.gov/hempapp.

Hemp grower applications and processor/handler applications are available for the 2021 growing season from Oct. 13 to Nov. 30. Applications can be found on the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) website (www.agi.alabama.gov/).

Applications

Full applications, including supporting documents, must be completed before the Nov. 30 deadline to receive approval consideration. Seasoned and new growers alike must complete annual applications.

At a time when America is trying to right its wrongs when it comes to the treatment of people of color and the war on drugs over the past few centuries, a Black, disabled veteran is still being held in prison on minor cannabis charges.

Marijuana often demonstrates the ability to win over even the most conservative of individuals. That said, winning over the hearts and minds of America’s vast regions isn’t complete until cannabis endears itself to the nation’s most conservative citizens and lawmakers in the southeast. 

Recent activity indicates that it may just be happening.

Commonly known as the Deep South, the region is the Bible Belt’s shiny, conservative buckle. It’s where conservative viewpoints almost always win out. There, progressive agendas like cannabis reform often face an uphill battle that rivals that of Sisyphus. 

Last week, Katelyn A. Kesheimer, Ph.D., was supposed to be in Colorado at the National Hemp Research & Education in Colorado. The conference, like much of life in general, was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

But that hasn’t stopped some from doing what they can to drive the industry forward this upcoming growing season. Instead, she and more than 70 other researchers from across the country joined a virtual meeting where they continued charting hemp’s future.

 “We have a vested interest in driving the research forward so growers can get the best crop,” she says.

The Alabama Senate voted 22 to 11 Thursday to allow the use of medical marijuana for certain medical conditions. 

The vote on the bill, sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, came after about 5 hours of often intense debate. It goes to the House of Representatives, where it has faced difficulties in the past.

"There could have been more of an organized effort to slow it down, and I appreciate the body not doing that," Melson said after the vote. "We tried to address some very serious things. I’m not taking this bill lightly. It’s a big step for Alabama, and there’s still a long way to go."