To get an Alabama medical cannabis card, you need a qualifying diagnosis, an in-person certification from a physician who holds an Alabama Medical Cannabis Certification Permit, and a registration application filed through the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. The card costs $40 virtual or $50 physical and is valid for 12 months. One important caveat before you start: dispensaries have not yet opened. Licensing was tied up in litigation for nearly two years, and a March 2025 appellate ruling cleared the way for the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) to resume issuing licenses. The AMCC has said the first locations could be operational by mid-2026.
Who Can Apply
You must be an Alabama resident and at least 19 years old to apply on your own behalf. Expect to provide proof of residency, such as an Alabama driver’s license or utility bill, and a valid government-issued ID.
Minors can qualify, but they cannot hold or manage the card themselves. A registered caregiver purchases, possesses, and helps administer the cannabis. Caregivers must be at least 21, unless the caregiver is the patient’s parent or legal guardian, in which case that age floor does not apply. Eligible caregivers include a parent, legal guardian, grandparent, spouse, or someone holding healthcare power of attorney for the patient.1Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 20-2A-30 – Registered Qualified Patients, Registered Caregivers, Authorized Purchases and Possession
Qualifying Medical Conditions
Alabama restricts medical cannabis to a fixed list of diagnoses, and you need documentation that conventional treatment has failed or that cannabis is the recognized standard of care for your condition.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 20-2A-3 – Definitions
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Cancer-related cachexia, nausea or vomiting, weight loss, or chronic pain
- Crohn’s Disease
- Depression
- Epilepsy or another condition causing seizures
- HIV/AIDS-related nausea or weight loss
- Panic disorder
- Parkinson’s disease
- Persistent nausea unresponsive to traditional treatment (excluding pregnancy-related nausea and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome)
- PTSD
- Sickle Cell Anemia
- Spasticity from a motor neuron disease such as ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, or a spinal cord injury
- Terminal illness
- Tourette’s Syndrome
- Chronic or intractable pain where conventional treatment and opiate therapy are contraindicated or have proven ineffective
Most chronic pain patients will fall under that last category. Read it closely: it requires that opiate therapy also be contraindicated or ineffective, not simply that other treatments haven’t worked.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 20-2A-3 – Definitions
How to Get the Card
Find a Certified Physician
Not every Alabama doctor can recommend medical cannabis. The physician must hold an Alabama Medical Cannabis Certification Permit issued by the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners. The Board maintains a searchable public registry, and you can filter by the “AMCP” license type to find certified doctors near you.3Alabama Board of Medical Examiners & Medical Licensure Commission. Medical Cannabis Certifying Physicians Roughly 20 physicians statewide are currently certified.
The visit must be in person. Alabama law requires the certifying physician to conduct a physical examination in the same room as you and to review your full medical history. Telehealth does not satisfy the requirement, and the physician must establish an ongoing care relationship with you rather than a one-off certification.4Legal Information Institute. Alabama Administrative Code 540-X-25-.10 – Requirements for Physician Recommendation or Certification for the Use of Medical Cannabis
Register With the AMCC
After certifying you, your physician enters your information and recommendation into the AMCC’s patient registry. You then complete a patient registration application through the AMCC’s online portal, uploading the physician certification, proof of Alabama residency, and a valid ID.5Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. Patients, Caregivers, and Physicians
Pay the Fee
Registration is $50 for a physical card or $40 for a virtual card. Caregiver cards cost the same. Your physician’s certification visit is billed separately, and the state does not set that price.
Renewing the Card
Your card expires 12 months after issuance. Renewal requires a fresh certification from a registered physician, which means another in-person visit, followed by a renewal application through the AMCC portal and the same $40 or $50 fee. If your card lapses, you cannot legally purchase or possess medical cannabis until you complete the full renewal process, including the new physician certification.5Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. Patients, Caregivers, and Physicians
What You Can Actually Buy
Alabama is more restrictive on product forms than most medical cannabis states. Smoking and vaping are prohibited. Edibles like cookies and candies are not allowed. Raw plant material is off the table. Approved forms are:6Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. What Types of Medical Cannabis Products Are Approved for Use in Alabama
- Tablets and capsules
- Tinctures
- Gels, oils, and creams for topical use
- Suppositories
- Transdermal patches
- Nebulizers
- Liquids or oils for use in an inhaler
Every product must come from a licensed dispensary, processed and packaged under state oversight. Home cultivation is not permitted for cardholders under any circumstance.
Dosage and Possession Limits
You can purchase up to 60 daily dosages at a time, and you cannot refill until 10 days before that 60-day supply expires. At no point may you possess more than 70 daily dosages.1Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 20-2A-30 – Registered Qualified Patients, Registered Caregivers, Authorized Purchases and Possession
Daily dosage is capped at 50 milligrams of THC for your first 90 days of treatment. After that, your physician may raise the cap to 75 milligrams if medically appropriate, or sooner for patients with a terminal illness. Products for minor patients cannot exceed 3% THC potency.
Where the Card Doesn’t Protect You
At Work
This catches many patients off guard. The Compassion Act states that employers do not have to accommodate medical cannabis use in any form. Your employer can refuse to hire you, fire you, or discipline you for cannabis use even if you were never impaired at work and hold a valid card.7Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 20-2A-6 – Application of Chapter
Employers can require drug testing, enforce drug-free workplace policies, and require employees to disclose their cardholder status. The statute also bars you from suing an employer over an adverse action tied to your medical cannabis use, and a termination for a positive test is conclusively presumed to be for “misconduct,” which can affect your eligibility for unemployment benefits.7Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 20-2A-6 – Application of Chapter If your employer has a zero-tolerance policy, a card gives you no legal shield.
With Firearms
Cannabis remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 922(g)(3), any “unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Medical cannabis patients qualify as unlawful users under this provision regardless of state law. ATF Form 4473, which you complete when buying from a licensed dealer, asks whether you are an unlawful user of a controlled substance. Answering “no” while holding a card is a federal felony carrying up to 10 years in prison. The ATF has stated that a state-issued medical cannabis card gives dealers reasonable cause to believe the buyer is a prohibited person, and courts have upheld the restriction.
Behind the Wheel
Your card does not shield you from a DUI charge. Alabama applies an impairment-based standard, so prosecutors must show that cannabis actually impaired your driving rather than proving a specific THC blood level. When transporting your medication, keep it in its original sealed packaging and store it somewhere you cannot easily reach from the driver’s seat.9Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. Darren Wesley Ato Hall Compassion Act – Section 20-2A-8
In Certain Places, and Across State Lines
Alabama prohibits the possession or use of medical cannabis at K-12 schools, daycares, child care facilities, and correctional facilities. And the card is Alabama-only in both directions: the state does not recognize medical cannabis cards from elsewhere, and an Alabama card carries no legal weight in states that do not offer reciprocity.