MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A piece of legislation that would make Alabama the 37th state in the nation to legalize medicinal cannabis passed out of the House Health Committee Thursday morning.

The committee approved the bill, sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, on a voice vote.

It now heads to the Alabama House of Representatives.

Melson’s legislation would create a regulatory seed-to-sale system, meaning the process from production to sales at dispensaries would be closely monitored.

Doctors in the state would be allowed to issue medical cannabis cards for patients with a number of different conditions including but not limited to depression, chronic pain, nausea from cancer and Parkinson’s disease.

The bill would not allow patients to smoke the marijuana.