Alabama Governor Robert Bentley on Wednesday signed HB61, also known as Leni’s Law, which makes medical cannabidiol (CBD) available to Alabamians.

CBD oil came into the Alabama lexicon with the passage of “Carly’s Law” last year, a piece of legislation which provided the University of Alabama at Birmingham the ability to conduct clinical trials of the cannabis-based medicine. But “Carly’s Law” left out many desperate children in Alabama deemed too sick to participate in the trials. Leni’s Law, introduced by Madison-Republican Rep. Mike Ball, was the solution. Named for Leni Young, a 4-year-old Alabama girl whose family was forced to move to Oregon to gain access to the medicine after she was excluded from the CBD study, Leni’s Law decriminalizes the possession of CBD oil and gives caretakers the ability to discuss the use thereof with physicians.

“As a physician, I believe it is extremely important to give patients with a chronic or debilitating disease the option to consider every possible option for treatment,” Governor Robert Bentley said. “With Leni’s Law, citizens in Alabama will have access to cannabidiol that may help with treatment. Through a study at UAB, we have seen the benefit of cannabidiol to help with chronic seizures. I hope we will be able to collect information that will determine the efficacy of this substance in other chronic debilitating diseases.”

The law will go into effect on June 1.

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