The Alabama Senate debated today but took no vote on a bill that would allow the use of medical marijuana in Alabama.

The sponsor, Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, an anesthesiologist and medical researcher, said he expects the Senate to reconsider the bill again soon and expects it to pass. Melson said Alabama would be the 34th state to approve medical marijuana.

Melson said he would not have supported medical marijuana a couple of years ago but has studied the issue and said it has shown potential for helping patients who have not found satisfactory relief from treatments that are now available.

“I just think it’s the right thing to do,” Melson said. "It’s time. A lot of literature out there that shows that this works. Let’s give it a chance."

Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Sheffield, an obstetrician and gynecologist, questioned Melson about the merits of medical marijuana, asserting that there was a lack of research and support from mainstream medical organizations. For example, the executive director of the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, spoke out against the bill at a public hearing two weeks ago.

At that same meeting, a neurology professor at UAB who helped lead a study on the treatment of epilepsy with a cannabis derivative, spoke in favor of the bill. The UAB study was authorized by Carly’s Law, which was passed by the Legislature in 2014.

Today’s debate on the bill was essentially a two-man exchange between Melson and Stutts. The two doctors know each other well. Melson said he has provided anesthesia for many medical procedures with Stutts since the early 1990s.

Melson said he did not expect to convince Stutts to support medical marijuana but said he thinks the bill has enough support to pass the Senate.

“It’s not a Republican or Democrat issue to me,” Melson said. “It’s a patient issue. And when you’ve got patients out there that have certain medical conditions that they could benefit from it, I think it’s time to give them the opportunity to participate in it.”