Have you ever wanted to contact a lawmaker to discuss your opinion on how to improve laws? If you live in the state of Alabama, that might be more difficult than you think.

Meet Maggie Ellinger-Locke. Maggie works for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) stationed in Washington D.C. The MPP and the MPP Foundation work to gain support of marijuana policies from civilians, lawmakers, and congress. Maggie monitors legislation in eleven states and regularly contacts lawmakers on ways to improve laws. Maggie was attempting to contact officials about Alabama’s recent decision to allow individuals with certain seizure disorders to use marijuana oils. She typically gives advice on how lawmakers can strengthen the Marijuana policies in their states; however, she cannot do that for the state of Alabama.

According to the state, Ellington-Locke’s duties classify her as a “lobbyist.” Any lobbyist in Alabama is required to attend a government-sanctioned ethics class annually. This ethics class instructs lobbyists on how to regulate speech when speaking with government officials. Maggie contacted the Alabama Ethics Commission, but they gave no way to her cause. She later found out that over 15% of Alabama’s lobbyists live outside the state just like her. However, there are no exemptions made regarding the class, and lobbyists with major distances to travel cannot take it remotely. In Maggie’s case, she saw no other option than to give up; she saw clearly that the time and resources she would spend attending the class would probably outweigh the difference she could make speaking to a lawmaker.

In August of 2016, the Marijuana Policy Project and the Institute for Justice, a national law firm focused on achieving liberty, teamed up to challenge this law. Speaking about policies of the government with officials is covered under two parts of the First Amendment: the right to petition and the right to speech. The team is arguing that the State of Alabama is not justified in making citizens meet certain qualifications before they are allowed to use their First Amendment rights.

So do Alabamians have less First Amendment rights than other states?

The idea that individuals must be taught how to use their rights before they can exercise them seems ridiculous, but the people of Alabama face just that. How can our wants and needs be accurately represented if we cannot speak directly to our lawmakers? I don't want other people like Maggie to give up on their cause just because the state makes it difficult.

As a voting citizen of the State of Alabama, I know that I want my opinion represented in the laws of my home state. However, it upsets me that individuals like Maggie who are trying to represent those opinions have obstacles to overcome before they can speak. The First Amendment is a heavy topic these days with “fake news” and all, but I’m shocked that such a limitation on the amendment has lasted so long.