The city of Tuscaloosa continues to make plans for medical marijuana dispensaries in the city.
The Alabama Legislature has already been preparing for changes since passing a law to allow medical marijuana in 2021. The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission has since started developing regulations and rules.
The Tuscaloosa City Council is now discussing how to go about having its own set of regulations and a licensing process.
City Council President Kip Tyner has voiced his support for a program in Tuscaloosa, saying if it is legal, he doesn’t see why the city of Tuscaloosa wouldn’t allow it. The city is poised to benefit from business license sales and sales tax, although the current proposal for the city would limit the number of licenses granted.
Dispensaries would not be places where people go to purchase medical marijuana freely. People must have a prescription or Alabama Medical Cannabis card to purchase, and no smokeable marijuana will be legal in Alabama. Medical marijuana will be permitted in pill form or in creams, patches, and other forms that do not include a leafy substance. Use of cannabis products would be prohibited on site of each dispensary.
Earlier this summer, the Tuscaloosa City Council passed an ordinance making misdemeanor marijuana possession a ticketable offense.
The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission will begin accepting applications from companies seeking a medical marijuana grower, processor, transporter, or dispensary license on Sept. 1. The first medical marijuana sold in the state under the law will likely not be available to consumers until sometime in 2023.
You can read the state’s regulations for medical cannabis dispensaries here.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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