Latest news with #AlabamaHouseHealthCommittee
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alabama House approves regulations on hemp products
Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, displays a hemp-derived product as he introduces a bill to regulate the industry to the House Health Committee on April 2, 2025, in Montgomery, Ala. The House passed Whitt's bill on Thursday. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives approved legislation Thursday to regulate hemp products consumed by the public amid concerns that minors will have access to the products. HB 445, sponsored by Rep. Andy Whitt, R-Harvest, that authorizes the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to issue licenses and regulate the manufacturing, distribution and sale of consumables derived from hemp to individuals who are younger than 21 years old. 'This is one of the bills that I think you saw wide, bipartisan support,' Whitt said in an interview with the media after the vote. 'It affects every neighborhood across the state. These are unregulated, unchecked, and dangerous products that are being sold to our children in our convenience stores and retailers across the state, and it is time we put guardrails on this to protect our students in high school.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX While the legislation provoked strong opinions from both supporters and proponents at two hearings in the Alabama House Health Committee, it passed the House with little debate. Whitt's bill restricts the sale of hemp products to people who are younger than 21 years old and limits the sale of the product to stores that sell alcohol and standalone shops that do not allow minors access. It also limits the THC content to five milligrams for hemp products that people consume as well as beverages, along with imposing sales tax on such items. Opponents of the legislation said that the regulations set in the bill do not support the data related to the market for hemp products during the public hearing at the Alabama House Health Committee meeting last Wednesday. Carmelo Parasiliti, founder and CEO of Green Acres Organic Pharms in Florence, said in an interview in March that 235 cases dealt with Delta-8 THC, a type of cannabinoid and that amounts to 0.018% of the cases for Alabama residents who are younger than 21 years old. Law enforcement supports the bill, and said that tests on the product showed that the THC levels from products that were purchased exceeded the 0.3% hemp limit. Members of the committee considered the legislation once again during the committee meeting Wednesday and approved it Thursday's vote on the House floor. 'When you go into a convenience store and see these products, you think that someone has looked over them, and that is just complete inaccuracy,' Whitt said. The bill moves to the Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
House committee approves bill allowing health care workers to refuse blood draws
Rep. Phillip Rigsby, R-Huntsville, speaks to colleagues on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 11, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Rigsby's bill would allow health care providers to refuse blood draws for suspected drunk driving without a court order. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House Health Committee Wednesday approved a bill clarifying health care providers can refuse to draw blood in alleged drunk driving situations. HB 391, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Rigsby, R-Huntsville, aims to address a 'misinterpretation' of previous legislation that some believed required paramedics and other health care providers to comply with all law enforcement blood draw requests. The bill says that health care providers may refuse to draw blood at the direction of law enforcement except when required by a court order. 'That was kind of misinterpreted, and misinterpreted in the sense that they must draw that blood,' Rigsby said to the committee. Rigsby said that under the bill, health care providers on the scene or at an ambulance station have the discretion to decline a request, allowing law enforcement to transport the individual to a hospital for testing instead. Rep. Frances Holk-Jones, R-Foley, asked if there would be a time limit to perform the test, asking how long people usually stay intoxicated. Rigsby acknowledged said blood-alcohol content testing is time-sensitive but said that factors such as liver function, hydration, and food intake affect how long substances remain detectable in an individual's system. The bill passed on a voice vote and goes to the full House for further consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama House committee delays bill allowing pharmacists to dispense ivermectin
Rep. Phillip Rigsby, R-Huntsville, speaks to colleagues on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 11, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) A bill that would allow pharmacists to dispense ivermectin without a prescription has been delayed in the Alabama House Health Committee. HB 278, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Rigsby, R-Huntsville, would provide access to ivermectin without a doctor's prescription by allowing physicians, physician assistants and certified registered nurse practitioners to issue 'standing orders' for pharmacists, which is defined in the bill as a 'prescription order that is not patient specific.' Chair Rep. Paul Lee, R-Dothan, said he wanted to review 'some insurance issues' but did not otherwise give a reason for the delay. 'I'm going to give them another week or two to see if we can't get it corrected before I bring it up,' Lee said. Under the bill, these standing orders would allow individuals to obtain the drug without a prescription provided they meet a pharmacist-administered risk assessment. Pharmacists and other health care providers involved in dispensing ivermectin under a standing order could not be subjected to disciplinary action by their licensing boards. It also prohibits any financial incentives or programs that might encourage medical professionals to promote ivermectin to patients or the public. Despite a lack of conclusive scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness, ivermectin gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic as some individuals promoted it as a potential treatment for the virus. According to a 2023 JAMA study, taking non-evidence-based drugs during the pandemic was associated with misinformation about the pandemic, lack of trust in physicians or scientists, conspiracy-mindedness,and the nature of news sources people watched. Ivermectin was originally developed as an antiparasitic drug and it is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating conditions such as parasitic worms. In animals, different forms of ivermectin are also approved to treat or prevent parasites. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
