After years of legal challenges, delays, and administrative disputes, Alabama’s long-stalled medical marijuana program is finally taking a concrete step forward. The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission has voted to award dispensary licenses to four companies, each authorized to operate up to three locations, setting the stage for a total of 12 dispensaries across the state.
The decision followed a contested hearing overseen by an administrative law judge, who evaluated competing applicants and identified those deemed most suitable to move forward. The four approved dispensary license holders are GP6 Wellness LLC, RJK Holdings LLC, CCS of Alabama LLC, and Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries LLC. Each company must pay a $40,000 license fee, and regulators have indicated dispensaries could begin opening as early as spring 2026.
One license, issued to Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries, is currently subject to a temporary stay. The commission is scheduled to revisit that issue later this month as part of a separate challenge filed by Capitol Medical LLC. Despite that unresolved matter, the commission has already outlined where all 12 dispensary locations are expected to be placed.
Rather than clustering in a single region, the locations are spread across Alabama, with an emphasis on geographic coverage while remaining limited to cities that have approved local ordinances allowing medical marijuana dispensaries. Based on the commission’s current plans, the 12 locations will be:
North Alabama
• Athens
• Cullman
• Owens Cross Roads
• Attalla
Central Alabama
• Birmingham (two locations)
• Talladega
• Oxford
• Demopolis
South Alabama
• Montgomery
• Daphne
• Mobile
Notably absent from the list are several large cities, including Auburn, Tuscaloosa, Enterprise, and Florence. Huntsville itself will not host a dispensary, though two locations will operate within its broader metro area. There is also a sizable gap between Mobile and Montgomery, with no dispensary currently planned along that corridor.
Once licenses are formally issued, physicians will be able to begin submitting certification applications, provided they complete the required state training course. Alabama law allows medical marijuana to be recommended for a defined list of conditions, including cancer-related pain, epilepsy, PTSD, Parkinson’s disease, sickle cell disease, terminal illnesses, and certain cases of chronic pain where conventional treatments have failed.
Products sold at dispensaries will be limited to non-smokable forms, including tablets, capsules, tinctures, topical oils and creams, transdermal patches, suppositories, and inhaler-based liquids. Raw flower, vape products, and marijuana-infused foods such as candies or baked goods will remain prohibited under state law.
While patients will still need to wait before products reach shelves, the approval of dispensary locations marks one of the most tangible milestones yet for Alabama’s long-delayed medical marijuana program.
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