One of the union's most conservative states was set to legalize marijuana for medical use Thursday, with GOP lawmakers switching sides to pass a bill that had earlier passed the state Senate. The Alabama House of Representatives voted 68-34 in the law's favor, which mandates a doctor's prescription for purchases. The bill now heads to Gov. Kay Ivey's desk; if she signs, Alabama becomes the 37th state in the union to legalize the drug.
A medical marijuana bill in 2013 won the Shroud Award for the "deadest bill" in the House.
"They laughed at me," former Democratic state Rep. Patricia Todd, the sponsor of the 2013 bill said Thursday of the reaction she got from some Republicans at the time.
