Two Alabama cannabis dispensaries expected to open next week

Two medical cannabis dispensaries are expected to open next week, bringing the total to five statewide, state officials announced Thursday.

Justin Aday, general counsel for the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, said one of the dispensaries will open in Bessemer and will be the third location of Callie’s Apothecary, the first medical cannabis dispensary to open in the state. It has operating locations in Montgomery and Talladega. 

Aday said the other dispensary is expected to open in Birmingham next week, the second location of Bama Bloom. It has an operating location in Athens and a third planned in Etowah County.

“Altogether we have those two dispensary licensees that are operating. We have five cultivators who are operating, two processors are operating, two secure transporters, and then of course the one state testing lab that we have,” Aday said. 

He projected the three open dispensaries would generate $130,000 to $140,000 in revenue in October. 

“The past two months, we’ve had a little over $120,000 monthly revenue, which is pretty good for a new market,” Sam Blakemore, chair of the commission said. 

The commission has awarded dispensary licenses to three companies, who can have three locations each. One license has yet to be awarded due to litigation, but there will be twelve dispensaries across the state under that license once all are awarded and operational.  

The third dispensary licensee, RJK Holdings, has locations planned in Oxford, Mobile, and Daphne.

“It’s been fully briefed. It’s before the court of civil appeals, and the court could issue a ruling on merits at any time,” said Mark Wilkerson, an attorney with the commission.

At the program’s full capacity, it can also award five integrated facility licenses – businesses that can cultivate, process and dispense medical cannabis – which will bring the dispensary count up to 37. 

Litigation is still pending for those licensees, and the commission is far from awarding those licenses, Wilkerson 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. 

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.

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.

As of Thursday, there are 83 physicians certified to recommend medical cannabis to patients in Alabama, according to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners. Aday said 62 are registered with the AMCC, and the commission is “making contact” with the remaining physicians to ensure they get registered. 

“We’ve also been doing some other educational work with the physicians, and we will have another webinar next week for the physicians that the Board of Medical Examiners has approved, going through just the process, making sure that they’re comfortable with the patient registry and the different requirements under the law,” Aday said. 

He said more than 2,300 medical cannabis cards have been issued.

John McMillan, director of the commission, also announced his intent to retire. Blakemore appointed several commissioners, and himself, to a transition committee to search for a replacement.

“I think we’re going to open it up to all resumes from wherever we can find them, and we’re going to work with the personnel department to narrow it down,” Blakemore said.

The transition committee will report its progress at the commission’s December meeting.