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

Is Cannabis Cultivation Legal in Houston County?

The Darren Wesley Hall Compassion Act, or Act 2021-450, approved by the State of Alabama in May 2021, legalized the licensed cultivation of medical cannabis in Houston County. The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) is the regulating and licensing body for medical cannabis businesses across the state.

Businesses that wish to cultivate medical cannabis commercially in Houston County must get either a medical cannabis cultivator license or a medical cannabis integrated facility license from the AMCC. All applications, however, had to be filed by December 30, 2022.

The AMCC will grant a maximum of five medical cannabis integrated facility licenses and a maximum of twelve medical cannabis cultivator licenses. The AMCC has already given out five medical cannabis integrated facility licenses and seven medical cannabis cultivator licenses as of August 10, 2023. Three of the medical cannabis integrated facility licensees had sites in the City of Dothan, in Houston County, but no medical cannabis cultivator licensees were located in the county.

The holder of the cultivator license may raise medical marijuana plants. The integrated facility license additionally provides the right to manufacture medical cannabis products as well as sell medical cannabis and its products to medical cannabis cardholders at retail. Both categories of licensees must follow the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (AGI) Medical Cannabis Cultivation Administrative Code Chapter 80-14-1. The seed-to-sale tracking system of the AMCC must be connected to each of their inventory management systems.

In order to apply for these licenses, the company's owners and employees had to submit to a criminal background check. The company had to pay an application fee amounting to $2,500 and have $2 million worth of liability and casualty insurance. The yearly licensing charge for a medical cannabis producer license costs $40,000, whereas that for a medical cannabis integrated facility license costs $50,000.

As stated in AGI Administrative Code 80-14-1, medical cannabis crops are only permitted to be cultivated inside a completely closed-in facility. Cannabis plants must not be grown directly on the ground but must be placed in pots so as to prevent cross-contamination, improve mobility, and facilitate easier plant tagging and monitoring. Beyond the facility's perimeter barriers, no cannabis cultivation activity may be observable.

A monitored security system with surveillance video cameras and alarms must be installed at every licensed medical cannabis cultivation site. Footage must be retained for a minimum of 60 days. Employees and visitors must both wear identification badges and register upon their arrival and exit. The AMCC may conduct a twice-yearly inspection of the licensed establishment.

Is Cannabis Manufacturing Legal in Houston County?

The State of Alabama's Act 2021-450 allowed the licensed manufacturing of medical cannabis products in Houston County. However, medical cannabis manufacturing companies had only until December 2022 to apply to the AMCC for a medical cannabis processor license or a medical cannabis integrated facility license.

The AMCC is only permitted to give four medical cannabis processor licenses statewide and these were all issued as of August 10, 2023, with none of the licensees situated in Houston County.

All licensees must adhere to the AMCC Regulation of Processors. When firms applied for the medical cannabis processor license, they were charged a $2,500 application fee and a $40,000 annual licensing cost.

The same security measures apply to licensed medical cannabis manufacturing enterprises as those for licensed medical cannabis growing facilities. Furthermore, a guard must be on duty at all times during operational hours in licensed manufacturing plants.

It is the job of the licensed medical cannabis manufacturing facility to guarantee that all of its products are consistent, stable, have the right potency, have a lengthy shelf life, and are not hazardous. This must be ensured via product testing. The AMCC's seed-to-sale tracking system must also be linked to the licensed production plant.

Licensed medical cannabis manufacturing establishments are also required to adhere to the following packaging standards for medical cannabis products:

• Packages must not appeal to children and must be tamper-evident and child-resistant.
• It is required to print labels or firmly attach them to parcels.
• The following information must be included on package labels, which must be clear and visible:
  • Product brand
  • Product classification
  • Name and license number of the cultivator
  • Name and license number of the manufacturer
  • The batch and product lot identification numbers
  • The weight of the product or the number of units contained
  • The quantity and potency of cannabis contained
  • The dates on which the product was manufactured, tested, and packaged
  • The expiration date of the product
  • The AMCC advisories required
  • The Alabama Poison Information Center's contact information
• Packages must not provide inaccurate information regarding cannabis's medical benefits.

Is Cannabis Retail Legal in Houston County?

Act 2021-450 of the State of Alabama legalized the licensed retail sale of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products, but pursuant to Alabama Code § 20-2A-51, an ordinance authorizing it must be enacted by a county or municipality. Otherwise, the AMCC will not grant a dispensary license to be based in the locality. Houston County has a resolution allowing licensed medical cannabis dispensaries to be established in any of its unincorporated areas. The only city in the county, Dothan, also has such an ordinance.

For medical cannabis retail firms to commence operations, they were required to obtain an AMCC medical cannabis dispensary license or a medical cannabis integrated facility license before the application period ended in December 2022. Those who applied were charged an application fee of $2,500 and a $40,000 annual license fee.

Only four medical cannabis dispensary licenses can be granted by the AMCC throughout the state, and as of August 10, 2023, all of them have already been given out. None of these were in Houston County. However, among the licensed medical cannabis integrated facilities, three dispensary sites were located in the City of Dothan, in Houston County.

Three dispensaries, each in a separate county, may be run by each licensee. In addition, each medical cannabis integrated facility license holder is allowed to run five shops in separate counties. As demand develops, the AMCC may increase the number.

License holders are obligated to abide by the AMCC Regulation of Dispensaries. Only individuals holding medical cannabis cards obtained from the State of Alabama's Medical Cannabis Program are authorized to acquire medical cannabis and its products from them. The Program, however, was still in the preparation stages and did not yet issue medical cannabis cards as of August 2023.

The distance between a medical cannabis dispensary and a school, childcare, or daycare facility must be no less than 1,000 feet. The licensed dispensary must follow the security requirements that are also required of licensed medical cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facilities. The primary difference is that medical cannabis cardholders are allowed to enter licensed dispensaries.

A credentialed dispenser must be present at the licensed medical cannabis dispensary during operational hours. Certification as a dispenser requires no fewer than two years of study in the areas of medicine, nursing, or pharmacology, in addition to satisfactory completion of the AMCC training and annual continuing education courses.

The sale of raw cannabis, cannabis intended for smoking or vaping, and edible cannabis products is forbidden at licensed medical cannabis dispensaries. It is only legal to sell pills, capsules, oils, inhaler devices, tinctures, suppositories, transdermal patches, nebulizers, and topical treatments like lotions and gels.

Before proceeding with a sale, the licensed medical cannabis retailer must verify the purchaser's qualification by inspecting the medical cannabis card. Based on the dose specified in the doctor's certification entered into the registry, a cardholder is only permitted to purchase a 60-day supply of medical cannabis and its products every 60 days. After each sale, the licensed dispensary must report the particulars on the AMCC's seed-to-sale tracking system.

Is Cannabis Delivery Legal in Houston County?

The AMCC Regulation of Dispensaries prohibits even licensed medical cannabis dispensaries in Houston County from delivering medical cannabis and its products to medical cannabis cardholders.

The transportation of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products, on the other hand, is permitted among licensed medical cannabis enterprises if done through a medical cannabis secure transporter licensed by the AMCC. The AMCC has already issued three medical cannabis secure transporter permits as of August 10, 2023, but none are in Houston County.

How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Houston County

As of August 2023, it was still not possible for Houston County residents to acquire a medical cannabis card because the Medical Cannabis Program of the State of Alabama was still being prepared. It still did not have physicians approved to certify patients for medical cannabis treatment.

Once implemented, the Program will recognize the following illnesses as qualifying for the use of medical cannabis:

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

If the patient is younger than the age of 19, a parent or legal guardian must take on the role of caregiver. Older patients are also permitted to appoint a caregiver. All caregivers must register in order to obtain the medical cannabis card required to purchase medical cannabis and its products for their patients.

The AMCC can be contacted by way of:

P. O. Box 309585

Montgomery, Alabama 36130

How Has Cannabis Legalization Impacted the Economy of Houston County?

The State of Alabama's Act 2021-450 makes no mention of a local tax on medical cannabis. Medical cannabis taxes imposed by the State of Alabama, on the other hand, include a 9% state sales tax on gross retail receipts and a yearly medical cannabis privilege tax that is the same amount as the Alabama business privilege tax.).

The Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Crime Rates in Houston County

Medical cannabis was legalized in Houston County in 2021.

Data sent by the Houston County Sheriff's Office to the Crime Explorer page of the FBI shows that in 2019, two years prior to the legalization of medical cannabis, there were 11 marijuana possession arrests and no marijuana sales arrests.

In 2021, the latest data showed six marijuana possession arrests and no marijuana sales arrests.

There were seven DUI arrests in 2019 but there was no data for 2021.