“It goes back to the heart of criminalization of marijuana in certain communities. And those are communities that are communities typical of people of color.”
By Andrea Tinker, Alabama Reflector
The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday passed a bill that prohibits smoking or vaping marijuana in a car with children.
HB 72, sponsored by Rep. Patrick Sellers, D-Pleasant Grove, would make it a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail, for those who smoke marijuana in a car with a child under 19.
The bill passed 77-2 after an unusual debate largely limited to the 29 Democrats in the 105-member chamber over potential unintended consequences. Most Democrats abstained from the vote. Four voted in favor; Reps. Mary Moore, D-Birmingham and TaShina Morris, D-Montgomery, voted against the bill.
“It’s about protecting the children, protecting every single child in the state of Alabama,” Sellers said after the meeting. “And that’s the motivation behind making sure that every child has the 100 percent ability to learn in the best environment that they can and keep them safe.”
Under the bill, individuals who are found to have smoked marijuana in the car with a child would be required to go
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