After years of lawsuits and bureaucratic delays, medical cannabis sales in Alabama are set to begin within the next two months, according to the state’s top marijuana regulator.
Arkansas medical marijuana dispensaries could be open for business – with ample product on the shelves – by late April or early May, state Cannabis Commission Chairman Rex Vaughn told WHNT-TV.
Alabama medical marijuana sales to begin in April or May
The launch will be limited, with only five physicians statewide licensed to write medical cannabis recommendations and only nine fully permitted dispensing locations, WHNT reported.
But the long-awaited launch of another MMJ program in the South follows one of the lengthiest and most contentious rollouts for legal cannabis seen.
Alabama’s Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed MMJ into law in 2021. Since then, multiple licensing rounds were revoked or canceled amid accusations of bias and impropriety.
Vaughn and state regulators had promised to launch sales in 2024.
What cannabis business licenses are available in Alabama?
Medical cannabis cultivators have been licensed and operating since last year, but the lawsuits mean they’ve had nowhere to legally sell their product.
Marijuana testing labs also received licenses last year.
State law allows for a maximum of:
- Five vertically integrated businesses, with each permit-holder allowed to operate up to five retail locations
- 12 licensed medical marijuana cultivators
- Four processors
- Four dispensary-only permits, each of which can operate up to three locations
According to WHNT, the commission has licensed four dispensary companies, nine cultivators and four processors.
The AMCC awarded the dispensary permits in December.
Alabama medical marijuana program expansion possible
One of the MMJ operators – Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries – may open in Owens Cross Roads in the northern part of the state, but plans are on hold until yet another lawsuit is resolved.
The other three dispensary operators are expected to open the maximum nine locations statewide, WHNT reported.
Vaughn said the state plans to monitor demand and consider future expansions to meet MMJ patients’ needs.
What medical marijuana products will be available in Alabama?
For now, their options will be limited to products like capsules, tinctures, measured inhalers and transdermal patches.
Cannabis flower suitable for smoking or vaping is prohibited, as are cannabis edibles.
Patients seeking access must be diagnosed with one of the state’s approved conditions, which include cancer-related symptoms, epilepsy, PTSD and chronic pain.
Once certified, patients can register through the AMCC’s online portal to obtain a medical cannabis card.
It’s still not yet clear how many patients will enroll in the program. Sales could reach $270 million in the first year of operation, according to an MJBizFactbook projection.
