The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission expects medical cannabis products to become available in late April or early May, WHNT News 19 reports.
Two dispensary companies, GP6 Wellness LLC and Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries LLC, are slated to open locations in Birmingham.
Yellowhammer’s license continues to be in limbo with no end date on the books.
Birmingham’s first medical cannabis dispensary
One company, GP6 Wellness LLC, began construction on its dispensary once licenses were issued at the beginning of January.
Located at 541 Cahaba Park Circle off Highway 280, GP6 General Manager Mayan Patel said construction crews are working every day to get ready for opening.
The dispensary, which doesn’t yet have an officially-announced name, is within the Cahaba Park Circle complex.
They are anticipating opening for business in the spring, but depending on any circumstances that arise, the opening could be pushed to summer.
Where will Alabama’s dispensaries be?
An administrative law judge presided over a hearing late last year that was requested by competing companies, which resulted in a list of applicants that were deemed most suitable for licenses:
- GP6 Wellness LLC
- RJK Holdings LLC
- CCS of Alabama LLC
- Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries LLC*
The map below sorts the dispensary locations into the companies they are under by color. Please note that the locations serve as a visual representation of which cities the dispensaries will be in, not an exact location.
Each company is allowed to have three dispensary locations.
- Athens
- Attalla
- Birmingham (two locations)*
- Cullman
- Daphne
- Demopolis*
- Mobile
- Montgomery
- Owens Cross Roads*
- Oxford
- Talladega
*Until Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries officially has a license, its locations will not be operating. According to WHNT News 19, Yellowhammer’s attoney, Patrick Dungan, expects that it will receive a license and open a facility within 2026.
Based on current plans, the dispensaries will be relatively spread out throughout the state, but there will not be a location between Mobile and Montgomery. Some larger cities won’t have a location, including Auburn, Tuscaloosa, Enterprise and Florence. Huntsville proper will not have a location, but there are two in its metro area.
The locations are also only be in cities that have passed local laws for cannabis dispensaries.
What conditions can be treated with medical cannabis in Alabama?
There are many conditions that qualify for medical cannabis treatment, according to the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission’s website:
- Autism
- Cancer-related weight loss or chronic pain
- Crohn’s
- Depression, epilepsy or condition causing seizures
- HIV/AIDS-related nausea or weight loss
- Panic disorder
- Parkinson’s
- Persistent nausea not related to pregnancy
- PTSD
- Sickle Cell
- Spasticity associated with diseases including ALS, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injuries
- Terminal illnesses
- Tourette’s
- Chronic pain for which conventional therapies and opiates should not be used or are ineffective
How many doctors are able to recommend medical cannabis in Alabama?
Doctors were allowed to begin submitting certification applications starting Jan. 8. They must complete a course before they are allowed to recommend medical cannabis products to patients.
In the case of medical cannabis, this is not considered the same thing as a prescription. After a doctor recommends cannabis to a patient, they register with the state before they are allowed to purchase it.
Only five physicians are licensed to recommend medical cannabis as of March 4, WHNT News 19 reported, meaning patients may have to travel long distances to have access to medical cannabis treatment.
In what forms are medical cannabis products allowed to be sold?
Allowed products include:
- Tablets
- Capsules
- Tinctures
- Gels, oils, and creams for topical use
- Suppositories
- Transdermal patches
- Nebulizers
- Liquids or oils for use in an inhaler
Dispensaries cannot sell raw plant material, products that can be smoked or vaped, or food products like cookies or candy.
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