This Week in the Legislature: Cannabidiol Oil, Teacher Pay Raises and Bentley Impeachment

| April 15, 2016 

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There are only eight meeting days left in Alabama’s 2016 Legislative Session, and the Alabama State House saw a burst of activity this week. For an update from Montgomery, we talk with Don Dailey, host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television. To start, Dailey tells WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley about Leni’s Law, a bill the House passed Wednesday that would decriminalize a specific marijuana oil in a bid to help people coping with debilitating seizures. It’s named for Leni Young, a former Alabama resident who suffers from a seizure disorder.

Cannabidiol doesn’t cause a high like marijuana, and is being explored as a treatment for epilepsy. The bill would give people a defense from drug possession charges if they are using the oil to help with seizures. Lawmakers previously approved access to the oil through a study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, but some, including Young, couldn’t get into the study.

Additionally, the Alabama House of Representatives is expected to vote next week to establish a 15-person investigatory committee to probe the possible impeachment of Governor Robert Bentley.

 

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