Verify · Alabama
Alabama medical cannabis rules: what to know and how to check
Alabama allows medical cannabis only. The law passed in 2021, but the first licensed dispensary did not open until June 4, 2026. Only a few locations are open so far, because most licenses are still tied up in legal challenges.
To buy, you must live in Alabama, have a qualifying condition, get a recommendation from a registered physician and hold a valid state medical cannabis card. You can buy only in person at a licensed dispensary. There is no delivery. Check the dispensary on the state’s list before you buy.
Checked against the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) and Alabama law on . Next review: .
CHSA does not test, certify or endorse products or retailers.
Official source
Alabama’s cannabis regulator: Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC)
- Check a business license Official list of licensed medical cannabis sellers
- See official recalls No public recall list found
- File a complaint Report an unlicensed business or a problem
- Regulator website Laws, rules and news
These links go to the regulator’s own website. CHSA does not copy or host license records, so you always see the official, current version.
What’s different in Alabama
Alabama allows medical cannabis only. There is no legal adult-use (recreational) market. The state law passed in 2021, but licensing was slowed by court and administrative challenges. The first licensed dispensary opened on June 4, 2026, and a second opened on August 28, 2026. On October 6, 2026, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) Patients page listed three dispensary locations, with opening dates from June to September 2026. AMCC posts each new opening there.
Most planned locations are still on hold. AMCC says a fully licensed program would have at least 37 dispensary locations, but challenges to the fourth dispensary license and to all "integrated facility" licenses have stalled 28 of them.
To buy, you must live in Alabama, have a qualifying condition, get a recommendation from a physician who is registered with AMCC, register on AMCC's patient registry and have a valid medical cannabis card. The card lasts one year. Only card holders may enter a dispensary. Alabama dispensaries may not sell to people from other states, even if they have a card from their home state.
Alabama allows only certain product forms: tablets, capsules, tinctures, plain gel cubes, lozenges, topicals, suppositories, patches, and liquids for nebulizers or inhalers. Raw flower, anything you smoke or vape, and foods like cookies or candies are not allowed.
Hemp products are different. Since January 1, 2026, hemp products you eat or drink may be sold only in stores licensed by the Alabama ABC Board, and only to adults 21 and older. Smokable hemp is banned.
Alabama medical cannabis rules at a glance
These are the main state rules for medical cannabis. Alabama has no adult-use market. Numbers in brackets link to the law or AMCC’s rules.
| Topic | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum age | Medical use only, with a valid medical cannabis card. Patients 19 and older may buy and possess. Patients under 19 may use medical cannabis, but a parent or legal guardian registered as their caregiver must buy and hold it. Other caregivers must be 21 or older. | Source [1] Code of Ala. § 20-2A-30(a)-(c) |
| How much you can have | A patient or caregiver may buy no more than 60 daily dosages at a time, and may not refill more than 10 days before that 60-day period ends. You may never have more than 70 daily dosages. Your physician sets your daily dosage: at most 50 mg of THC at first, up to 75 mg after 90 days of care, and more only for a terminal illness. In a vehicle, keep it sealed in its original package and out of reach. | Source [1] Code of Ala. § 20-2A-30(d), § 20-2A-7(a), § 20-2A-33(f), § 20-2A-8(b)(2) |
| Growing at home | Not allowed. AMCC rules say patients and caregivers may not grow cannabis or make cannabis extracts. They must buy only from a licensed dispensing site. | Source [2] Ala. Admin. Code r. 538-X-2-.08(2), (4); Code of Ala. § 20-2A-3(16) |
| Delivery | Not allowed. AMCC rules say a dispensary may not deliver medical cannabis to anyone, including patients and caregivers. Sales happen only inside the dispensary's sales area. | Source [3] Ala. Admin. Code r. 538-X-8-.02(4)(d), (5)(e) |
| Required lab tests | A dispensary may sell medical cannabis only after it has been tested. State-licensed labs test for THC and CBD content, terpenes, heavy metals, residual solvents and other chemicals, microbes, mycotoxins and pesticides. Labs must be accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. | Source [1] Code of Ala. § 20-2A-64(d)(3), § 20-2A-66(b), (d) |
| Labels | Labels must show lot and batch numbers, the grower's and processor's license numbers, cannabinoid content and potency, the state's universal symbol in color, and "Keep out of reach of children." A warning about drowsiness, alcohol, driving, other medicines and pregnancy must be on the label or an insert. Labels may not claim health benefits. | Source [1] Code of Ala. § 20-2A-63(e)-(h) |
| Packaging | All medical cannabis must be in child-resistant, tamper-evident containers. Packages and labels may not appeal to children, such as with toys or cartoon characters. | Source [1] Code of Ala. § 20-2A-63(e)(1)-(2) |
| Edible THC limits | No food products such as cookies or candies. The only chewable forms allowed are plain (not sugar-coated) gel cubes or rectangles and cube-shaped lozenges, all in one state-set flavor. Products may not look like candy or be shaped like people, animals, fruit or cartoon characters. | Source [1] Code of Ala. § 20-2A-3(14), § 20-2A-63(d), (f) |
| Poison control | Alabama Poison Information Center at Children's of Alabama: 1-800-222-1222 . Free, confidential, 24/7. Call 911 if someone has trouble breathing or won’t wake up. | www.childrensal.org |
Alabama recalls
We did not find a public recall list on AMCC’s website. AMCC rules say every licensee must keep a written plan for contamination and recalls. 9 CHSA does not monitor Alabama recalls yet. If you think a product made you sick, call Poison Help, then contact AMCC.
How Alabama compares
Compare Alabama with the other states CHSA covers.
Sources
- Code of Alabama 1975, Title 20, Chapter 2A (Darren Wesley "Ato" Hall Compassion Act), updated November 2024
- Ala. Admin. Code Chapter 538-X-2, Regulation of Patients and Caregivers
- Ala. Admin. Code Chapter 538-X-8, Regulation of Dispensaries
- Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (home page)
- Patients & Caregivers: dispensary opening announcements, registration and FAQs
- Talladega Medical Cannabis Dispensary to Open (news release)
- Applicant/Licensee Summary Information
- Frequently Asked Questions (general)
- Ala. Admin. Code Chapter 538-X-4, Licensee Requirements (Generally)
- Contact the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission
- Consumable Hemp Products
- HB445 (2025 Regular Session), enrolled act adding Chapter 12 to Title 28 (consumable hemp products)
- Alabama Poison Information Center at Children's of Alabama
CHSA does not test, certify or endorse products or retailers.