Legal status
- Medical Program
50-75 mg per dayDoctors prescribe the drug for up to 12 months at a time
Illegal
9%
Illegal
Application process
Get approved by a doctor, then apply to the state medical marijuana program. Receive your MMJ card and start shopping for your medical cannabis from a licensed dispensary.
Alabama has a Medical Program only.
Medical cannabis:
2014
Governor Robert Bentley signs Carly’s Law, which permits the University of Alabama at Birmingham to provide non-psychoactive CBD oil to children with debilitating seizures as a clinical study. THC limits could not exceed 3%.
2016
Governor Bentley signs Leni’s Law, expanding the affirmative defense to include any individual who has a debilitating disease or condition involving seizures. THC content was not allowed to exceed 3%.
2021
Governor Key Ivey signs into law Senate Bill 46, the Darren Wesley ‘Ato’ Hall Compassion Act.
Recreational cannabis:
Non-medical, recreational, adult use of cannabis is currently illegal in Alabama. Penalties for possession can still be harsh. First-time possession of personal amounts is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison, a fine of up to $6000, and a mandatory six months driver’s license suspension. There were attempts to legalize adult-use cannabis for those aged 21 or over in 2019, but this proved unsuccessful.
The Alabama law lists the following medical conditions as qualifiers for a medical cannabis card:
At this time, Leafwell does not offer medical cannabis consultations. We recommend you visit a physician in Alabama to enquire about getting certified.
At this time, telemedicine is not permitted in Alabama. However, we hope this will change soon!
Doctors can prescribe the drug for up to 12 months at a time. In most cases, the daily dosage can’t exceed 50 milligrams of THC, or 75 mg per day if the doctor considers it medically appropriate.
Products are available in the following forms:
Cultivating cannabis is illegal in Alabama, even for medical marijuana patients.
Alabama does not have medical marijuana reciprocity, and so does not recognize out-of-state medical marijuana cards.
Yes, an Alabama medical marijuana card is recognized by other states with medicinal cannabis reciprocity.
The following states accept or recognize out-of-state medical marijuana cards:
However, this does not always mean you can purchase cannabis at a medical marijuana dispensary (non-medical adult use is fine) – just that you are protected by the state’s medical marijuana laws to some extent. It is wise to call the dispensary ahead if you are a medical cannabis patient from another state and you intend on purchasing medical marijuana.
The qualifying condition usually has to match between states, so if your qualifying condition is accepted in one state and not your visiting state, your recommendation is not necessarily valid. You are also beholden to the visiting state’s medical marijuana laws, not the state that issued your card.
The following states accept out-of-state applications, allowing a visiting patient application to use medical cannabis for the duration of their stay:
Employers are allowed to create a drug-testing policy against medical marijuana or require employees to notify them if they start legally using the drug. Employers in Alabama are not required to accommodate medical marijuana patients.
There is no provision for testing in Carly’s Law.
In all states with a medical marijuana program, the only way to purchase medicinal cannabis products is via a legally-licensed dispensary or pharmacy, or another legally designated space to purchase cannabis. Only those with a legal license to sell cannabis can actually do so.
All states with a medical marijuana program have some restrictions on where a person can legally use cannabis. Near schools, nurseries, parks or other places where children are expected to be, using cannabis is illegal. Use of cannabis on or in federal land or buildings, hospitals or any other such healthcare space is also illegal. Private members club and landowners may also prohibit cannabis use on their property or restrict it at their discretion.
The safest place to use medical cannabis is in the safety of your own home. It is wise to use common sense and generally keep consumption out of public view, and utilize discreet consumption methods wherever possible.