Public health officials in Alabama, where medical cannabis sales finally launched this summer after years of delay, are no longer opposed to federal marijuana rescheduling.
The State Committee of Public Health on Thursday unanimously voted to drop its opposition on Thursday, according to the Alabama Reflector.
That’s after the committee in May objected to the Justice Department’s April final order reclassifying state-licensed medical cannabis as a Schedule 3 drug.
In the meantime, Alabama at last launched its medical marijuana market in June after years of lawsuit-driven delays.
Why was Alabama’s objection to marijuana rescheduling withdrawn?
The state public health department’s legal team resolved the agency’s concerns, State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris told the Reflector.
Alabama law dictates that a federal reclassification of drugs is adopted automatically at the state level unless the State Committee of Public Health objects within 30 days.
The committee objected May 21, triggering a review process that led to a July 22 hearing.
At the hearing, conservative activists argued rescheduling would “harm children” and “worsen Alabama’s mental health crisis,” the Reflector reported.
Just one operator testified in support.
The U.S. Department of Justice finalized the move of state-regulated medical marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 in April after a December executive order from President Donald Trump.
Legal experts described Alabama’s objection as a technicality rather than an opt-out.
What’s next for Alabama’s medical marijuana market?
Relief from Internal Revenue Code Section 280E, which blocks cannabis companies from deducting ordinary business expenses, flows from federal reclassification regardless of any state decision.
Alabama has continued rolling out its medical marijuana program this year after a lengthy delay beset by litigation.
Three dispensaries are open, and another seven are expected to open within months, according to the Reflector.
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At full capacity, Alabama medical marijuana law allows for nearly 40 dispensaries.
The statute also permits up to 12 cultivator licenses, four processor licenses and four dispensary licenses, with each allowed to operate up to three locations.
However, the award of five coveted vertically integrated permits is still being contested.
Alabama’s MMJ program became law in 2021, and the first business licenses were issued in 2023 before the process descended into a morass of lawsuits.
