HB 227

Relating to medical cannabis; to amend Sections 20-2A-3, 20-2A-8, 20-2A-21, 20-2A-32, 20-2A-36, and 20-2A-64, Code of Alabama 1975, to further provide for the conditions that are considered a qualifying medical condition; to further restrict individuals from having an economic interest in a licensee and to establish a time period for the prohibition; to further provide for the definition of a registered certifying physician and provide that a registered certifying physician may only certify a patient for medical cannabis use if he or she is board certified in the field of specialty required to diagnose a qualifying medical condition as provided by law; to prohibit a non-registered certifying physician from having a financial arrangement with a registered certifying physician for patient referrals; to provide that an individual cannot qualify as a registered caregiver if he or she is also a qualified registered patient; to further provide for location restrictions and dispensing protocols for a dispensary; to make it a crime for an individual to sell a medical cannabis card; and in connection therewith would have as its purpose or effect the requirement of a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of Section 111.05 of the Constitution of Alabama of 2022.