Calhoun County Cannabis – Is It Legal & Where To Buy 2025

Is Cannabis Cultivation Legal in Calhoun County?

Licensed cannabis cultivation for medical use in Calhoun County is legal under the Darren Wesley Hall Compassion Act or Act 2021-450 signed in the State of Alabama in May 2021. The regulation and licensing of medical cannabis businesses statewide are under the purview of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC). Applications for all types of medical cannabis businesses, however, closed on December 30, 2022.

Medical cannabis cultivation companies that wanted to operate in Calhoun County or elsewhere in the State of Alabama had to obtain the AMCC’s medical cannabis cultivator license or medical cannabis integrated facility license.

The cultivator license authorizes the holder to cultivate medical cannabis crops. The integrated facility license adds, on top of this, the authority to manufacture medical cannabis products and sell medical cannabis and its products by retail only to medical cannabis cardholders. Both licensees must follow the Medical Cannabis Cultivation Administrative Code Chapter 80-14-1 of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (AGI) and connect their inventory system to the seed-to-sale tracking system of the AMCC.

When applying for these licenses, company owners and their personnel were required to go through a background check. The company was charged an application fee of $2,500 and obligated to have $2 million worth of liability and casualty insurance. The annual license fee, however, differs. The medical cannabis cultivator license has an annual fee of $40,000 while the medical cannabis integrated facility license has an annual fee of $50,000.

Only 12 medical cannabis cultivator licenses and five medical cannabis integrated facility licenses will be issued throughout the state. The AMCC already granted, as of June 12, 2023, four medical cannabis cultivator licenses and all five medical cannabis integrated facility licenses.

According to AGI Administrative Code 80-14-1, the cultivation of medical cannabis crops can only be done inside a fully enclosed structure. The cannabis crops must not be planted directly on the ground but must be grown in pots to avoid cross-contamination, provide portability, and enable easy individual labeling for identification and monitoring. No activity related to cannabis cultivation must be seen from outside the facility’s perimeter fence.

A monitored security system armed with alarms and surveillance video cameras must protect the licensed medical cannabis cultivation facility. Footage must be maintained for a minimum of 60 days. The wearing of identification badges and the logging of every entry and departure must be required for employees and visitors alike. The licensed facility may be inspected by the AMCC twice each year.

Is Cannabis Manufacturing Legal in Calhoun County?

Licensed medical cannabis product manufacturing in Calhoun County is legal as mandated by Act 2021-450 of the State of Alabama. Before applications closed in December 2022, medical cannabis manufacturing companies had to submit an application to the AMCC for a medical cannabis processor license or a medical cannabis integrated facility license to operate.

Only four medical cannabis processor licenses are allowed across the state and these had already been issued by the AMCC as of June 12, 2023. All of them must comply with the AMCC Regulation of Processors. Companies that applied for the medical cannabis processor license were charged an application fee of $2,500 and an annual license fee of $40,000.

Licensed medical cannabis manufacturing facilities have the same security requirements as licensed cultivation facilities. In addition, a guard is required to be on duty during operational hours of licensed manufacturing facilities.

It is the responsibility of the licensed medical cannabis manufacturing facility to maintain the quality of all its products in terms of safety, potency, stability, consistency, and shelf life. This is ensured through product testing. The licensed manufacturing facility must also be plugged into the seed-to-sale tracking system of the AMCC.

Moreover, the licensed medical cannabis manufacturing facility is required to abide by the following packaging rules for medical cannabis products:

• Packages must not appeal to children and must be child-resistant and tamper-evident.
• Packages must have printed or securely attached labels.
• Package labels must have clear and legible writing and contain the following:
  • Brand name
  • Product type
  • Name and license number of the cultivator
  • Name and license number of the manufacturer
  • Batch and product lot numbers
  • Product weight or number of units contained
  • Level and potency of cannabis content
  • Dates product was manufactured, tested, and packaged
  • Expiration date
  • AMCC warnings
  • Alabama Poison Information Center contact details
• Packages must not carry inaccurate information on medical cannabis benefits.

Is Cannabis Retail Legal in Calhoun County?

Licensed medical cannabis retail in Calhoun County is legal as stipulated by the State of Alabama’s Act 2021-450, but Alabama Code § 20-2A-51 states that the AMCC will only issue dispensary licenses in counties and municipalities that have enacted an ordinance allowing it. Calhoun County has no such ordinance and, therefore, could not have a licensed medical cannabis dispensary in its unincorporated areas. Among the seven cities in the county, only the cities of Oxford and Glencoe allowed the establishment of licensed medical cannabis dispensaries by ordinance.

Prior to December 2022, when applications closed, medical cannabis retail companies had to acquire the AMCC medical cannabis dispensary license or medical cannabis integrated facility license in order to operate. They were charged an application fee of $2,500 and a yearly license fee of $40,000.

Licensees must comply with the AMCC Regulation of Dispensaries. They are only allowed to sell medical cannabis and its products to medical cannabis cardholders of the State of Alabama’s Medical Cannabis Program. The Program, however, was still being developed as of July 2023 and was still not issuing medical cannabis cards.

Only four medical cannabis dispensary licenses are allowed statewide, and all have also been already issued by the AMCC as of June 12, 2023. Each license holder is authorized to have three dispensaries, with each one located in a separate county. Additionally, the medical cannabis integrated facility licensees are each allowed to have five dispensaries, all in separate counties. The number may be increased by the AMCC as demand increases.

The location of a licensed medical cannabis dispensary must have a separation of not less than 1,000 feet from a daycare center, childcare center, or school. It is required to have the same security measures as licensed medical cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facilities. The only difference is that medical cannabis cardholders will be allowed licensed dispensaries.

A certified dispenser must be on-site during operational hours to manage the licensed medical cannabis dispensary. To qualify as a certified dispenser, at least two years of study in the fields of medicine, nursing, or pharmacology is required in addition to the completion of AMCC training and yearly continuing education.

Licensed medical cannabis dispensaries are prohibited from selling raw cannabis, cannabis intended for vaping or smoking, and edible cannabis products. They are allowed to sell tinctures, oils, pills, capsules, suppositories, transdermal patches, nebulizers, products to be used through inhalers, and topical preparations like gels and creams.

Before a sale, the licensed medical cannabis dispensary is required to confirm the purchaser’s qualification by checking the medical cannabis card. Every 60 days, a cardholder may purchase only a 60-day supply of medical cannabis and its products, based on the dosage indicated in the physician’s certification on the registry. After each sale, the details must be logged by the licensed dispensary on the seed-to-sale tracking system of the AMCC.

Is Cannabis Delivery Legal in Calhoun County?

Licensed medical cannabis dispensaries in Calhoun County are not allowed by the AMCC Regulation of Dispensaries to deliver medical cannabis and its products even to medical cannabis cardholders.

Only the transfer of medical cannabis and its products from one licensed medical cannabis business to another through a medical cannabis secure transporter also licensed by the AMCC is allowed.

How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Calhoun County

Residents of Calhoun County still could not get a medical cannabis card as of July 2023 because the Medical Cannabis Program of the State of Alabama was still being developed. No physicians have yet been approved to issue medical cannabis patient certifications.

Once the Program is underway, the following will be the medical conditions that will qualify for medical cannabis treatment:

• Illness resulting in intractable or chronic pain
• Depression
• Terminal illness
• Parkinson's Disease
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Persistent nausea
• Cancer that causes chronic pain, nausea, vomiting, or cachexia
• HIV/AIDS
• Tourette's Syndrome
• Panic Disorder
• Crohn's Disease
• Seizures
• Spasticity from Multiple Sclerosis or Spinal Cord Injury
• Sickle Cell Anemia
• Autism Spectrum Disorder

If the patient’s age is below 19, a parent or legal guardian must act as a caregiver. Any patient aged 19 and older may also opt to designate a caregiver. All caregivers are required to register to get a medical cannabis card used to purchase medical cannabis and its products for their patients.

Queries may be directed to the AMCC through:

P. O. Box 309585

Montgomery, Alabama 36130

How Has Cannabis Legalization Impacted the Economy of Calhoun County?

Calhoun County has not felt the economic impact of medical cannabis legalization yet because, on June 16, 2023, the AMCC stayed all the licenses it had issued on June 12, 2023. As of July 2023, there was no news yet on when it will lift that stay.

The Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Crime Rates in Calhoun County

Medical cannabis was legalized in Calhoun County and the whole of the State of Alabama in 2021, although retail sales have not yet started as of July 2023.

For baseline purposes, data on the Crime Explorer page of the FBI shows that in 2021, there were 2,808 marijuana possession arrests and 42 marijuana sales arrests, totaling 2,850 marijuana offense arrests.