Alabama to launch medical cannabis program in late Spring of 2026

In 2021, Alabama became the 36th state to pass medical cannabis legislation. It has been a long road to getting Alabama’s medical cannabis program launched after several years of lawsuits. But, almost five years after the medical cannabis bill became law, the program is nearing a launch in late May 2026.

In February, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission awarded the last standalone dispensary license, after a state Appeals Court dismissed a lawsuit holding up the awarding of the license. That law states that the program could not launch until licenses had been awarded in all categories. With that threshold met, the program is poised to begin serving patients.

To qualify, a patient must be diagnosed with an approved condition by a physician who is certified to recommend cannabis. As of May 13, 2026, there are 32 medical professionals certified to recommend cannabis for patients. After the doctor has recommended cannabis, a patient must create a profile in the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission’s portal. Instructions for the next steps can be found here. Caregiver instructions can be found here.

The state opened the patient registry in late April 2026. As of mid-May, there were just over 200 patients certified. Dr. Sam Blakemore, the Chair of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, expects the first dispensaries to open by late May. You can find the counties that will have dispensaries here.

We’ve provided a summary of the law, the Compassion Act (SB 46), here. While it is far better than what it replaced — no medical protections at all — there are a number of provisions that are unnecessarily burdensome on patients. It steers pain patients to try opioids first, and it requires doctors to jump through hoops — including a four-hour course and a fee of up to $300 — that may depress participation. It also prohibits smoking, vaporization, and whole-plant cannabis, which drives up prices and denies some patients the treatment option that works best for them. There were no bills introduced in the 2026 session that would have expanded the nation’s most restrictive medical cannabis program.

Alabama continues to criminalize cannabis consumers

While Alabama remains one of only 19 states that still jails its residents for simple possession of cannabis, Sen. Bobby Singleton (D) has been trying to change that for several years. In 2026, Sen. Singleton submitted SB285, which would have decriminalized up to one ounce of cannabis and provided a mechanism for individuals to petition for expungement of marijuana-related records after five years without additional criminal conviction.

SB285 was not granted a hearing in 2026.

Personal-use possession of cannabis — even the smallest amount — is currently a misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of one year in jail and/or a fine of up to $6,000. A repeat offense carries a mandatory minimum of one year and one day in jail. In 2025, there were 8,505 arrests for possession of cannabis in Alabama. It deserves mentioning that those arrests occurred when hemp flower was widely available in Alabama. Starting July 1, 2025, possession of hemp flower or vapes became illegal. It now carries a Class C felony with a fine of up to $15,000 and potentially between 1-10 years in prison. It is expected that arrests will increase in the coming years.

Contact your lawmakers and ask them to make cannabis decriminalization (including hemp) a priority. Let them know it’s past time to end these draconian penalties and free up law enforcement resources to focus on serious crime.

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