Alabama: Following Years of Delays, Patients Can Finally Access Authorized Medical Cannabis Products
- State-qualified patients in Alabama can now access authorized medical cannabis products from licensed dispensaries, marking the start of state-licensed sales after over five years of delays.
- The medical marijuana program faced significant setbacks, including litigation and a suspension of the licensing process, which postponed patient access despite legislation being passed years ago.
- Currently, over 300 patients are registered with 52 certified physicians authorized to recommend medical cannabis, and patients will be able to purchase products from 12 dispensary locations statewide.
- Alabama law restricts medical cannabis products to non-flower forms such as tablets, tinctures, topicals, and inhalers, a limitation not commonly found in other states' medical cannabis programs.
State-qualified patients can finally access authorized medical cannabis products from licensed dispensaries.
State-licensed sales began today, more than five years after lawmakers enacted legislation regulating the medical marijuana market. For years, the program’s rollout had been delayed because of litigation — with regulators at one time suspending the licensing process altogether.
“For five long years, Alabama patients have lacked the ability to locally access medically necessary state-approved cannabis products from state-licensed dispensaries,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “These undue delays caused unnecessary suffering and needlessly jeopardized patients’ health and well-being. Starting today, lawmakers, regulators, and licensed providers must begin putting patients’ needs first.”
Once the nascent program is fully up and running, patients with authorizations from a certified physician will be able to access cannabis products from 12 dispensary locations throughout the state. At present, there are over 300 patients registered with the state to access medical cannabis, and there are 52 physicians certified to issue medical cannabis recommendations, according to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners.
Patients are not permitted access to cannabis flower material or cannabis-infused edible products under the law. Rather, medical cannabis formulations need to be in the form of: “tablets, capsules, tinctures, or gel cubes for oral use; gels, oils or creams for topical use, or suppositories, transdermal patches, nebulizers, or liquids or oils for use in an inhaler.” Almost no other state imposes similar restrictions on the types of products available.
Additional information about Alabama’s medical cannabis access law is available from NORML.