MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Gov. Robert Bentley signed a bill Tueday to legalize the use of a marijuana-derived oil, called CBD oil, for medicinal use.

The bill, commonly called Carly's Law in honor of the 3-year-old Carly Chandler of Birmingham, would allow the University of Alabama at Birmingham UAB's Department of Neurology, to prescribe the drug, which advocates for the law say helps children with debilitating seizures.

The program at UAB is structured in the law as a study to examine the drug's effectiveness, and the proposed Education Trust Fund budget includes an additional $1 million for UAB to administer the program.

Early in the session, the bill's chances for passage looked bleak, but a groundswell of support gradually moved lawmakers until Carly's Law passed both houses of the Alabama Legislature unanimously.

"Alabama has the best research institutions in the country and I hope this Alabama-led medical study can bring relief to children, like Carly," Gov. Bentley said.