Politics
Alabama Medical Marijuana Sales Finally Launch, Years After Lawmakers Passed Legalization
“I will be able to remove some very dangerous pharmaceuticals, and I’ll be able to replace them with something that God put on this earth.”
By Anna Barrett, Alabama Reflector
Amanda Taylor, a patient advocate, bought the first medical cannabis product in Alabama Wednesday morning at Callie’s Apothecary in Montgomery.
Taylor, who has multiple sclerosis, said she has advocated for the natural medicine in her home state for about 11 years. She moved to Arizona for access to medical cannabis and to work in the industry, but came home to be a “voice for the patients.”
“I’ve always said it’s not all about me, it’s about the patients. If it was about me, I would have stayed in Arizona, but this is about a better quality of life, not getting high, but about a better quality of life,” she said.
The Alabama medical cannabis law, enacted in 2021, allows registered physicians to recommend cannabis for about 15 medical conditions, including cancer, depression, Parkinson’s Disease, PTSD, sickle-cell anemia, chronic pain and terminal diseases. The approved product forms are restricted to tablets, tinctures, patches, oils and gel cubes (only peach flavor), with raw plant material and smokable forms remaining prohibited.
Taylor purchased a water-soluble tincture and peach-flavored gel cubes. She said she hopes the products will last her about a month and resolve her nausea, vomiting and tremor symptoms of multiple sclerosis. She has 45 legions on her brain and one on her spine.
“I will be able to remove some very dangerous pharmaceuticals, and I’ll be able to replace them with something that God put on this earth for this specific reason,” she said.
Taylor drove over two hours from Cullman, Alabama, to get to Callie’s Apothecary, the first medical cannabis dispensary to open in the state. When the program is fully up and running, there will be 12 dispensaries across the state between four companies.
Three of the companies, CCS of Alabama, LLC, GP6 Wellness, LLC and RJK Holdings, LLC, have licenses and are expected to open their storefronts this summer, according to Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) Director John McMillan. A fourth license is pending litigation, but is likely to go to Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries, LLC.
People who suffer from the qualifying conditions must get approval from their physician and enter the patient registry in order to buy products at a dispensary.
Litigation has also held up access to medical cannabis. Some firms sued the commission for not being awarded a license, citing a discriminatory process. Another case involved five parents that sued the commission over delays in access to cannabis, which was dismissed in August.
McMillan said Wednesday there are over 300 patients on the registry. As of Wednesday, there are 52 physicians certified to recommend medical cannabis to patients in Alabama, according to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, but there will likely be more now that patients can get products.
“It’s all about the patients, every step of the whole process, and so I think wisely they’ve sort of held off until they know that the patient can get a recommendation and then get a product,” McMillan said.
Taylor said she hopes that the stigma around cannabis as medicine will go away as the industry changes in Alabama.
“I see this growing exponentially, because once people see the results and see the difference that it makes, and that it’s not about getting high and how you can function and be a productive member of society,” she said. “There’s no shame in that. This is medicine.”
This story was first published by Alabama Reflector.
