Tuscaloosa Council To Begin Talks On Medical Marijuana Dispensary Ordinance Tuesday

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa City Council's Administration Committee will consider an ordinance change next week that, if approved by the full Council, would allow for medical marijuana dispensaries to operate within the city limits once businesses licenses are issued by the state of Alabama.

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The move follows a 2021 law passed by the Alabama Legislature that legalized and created a regulatory framework for medical marijuana in Alabama.

Indeed, findings by the legislature ahead of the law's passage argued that opening the door for medical marijuana in Alabama will not only benefit patients by providing relief to pain and other debilitating symptoms, but will also provide noticeable economic benefits for farmers and other residents of the state.

“As the Legislature found, medical research continues to show the benefits of medical marijuana outweigh any associated risks," Tuscaloosa City Attorney Scott Holmes told Patch on Friday. "There are people in the State of Alabama and in our own community that are suffering, and the use of medical marijuana can alleviate that suffering."

A 2021 study by the Pew Research Center found that 91% of American adults believe marijuana should be legalized either for medical use or recreational use, which underscores a generational shift in how the substance has been viewed by everyday Americans in the past.

Over the summer, the fledgling Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission decided that the state would issue business licenses to a maximum of four dispensary firms, who can then operate locations in up to three counties.

As AL.com pointed out in June, the dispensaries will not be permitted to sell raw plant products intended for smoking. Rather, those who receive a doctor's referral will be able to purchase cannabis products in the form of oral tablets or capsules, gelatinous cubes, creams, patches, liquid or oil for an inhaler and various other forms.

Holmes then mentioned Tuscaloosa City Hall's position regarding the roll out of medical marijuana in Alabama, saying that if it's going to be legally sold in the state, city officials see no reason why it should't be sold in Tuscaloosa.

The proposed ordinance is also in line the Tuscaloosa City Council's decision earlier this summer to allow for certain low-level marijuana offenses to be charged with a simple citation, as opposed to a trip to the county jail, as Patch previously reported.

"Revenue from medical marijuana will support our public safety fund and our continued efforts to move the heroes at our police and fire departments into the State Retirement System,” he said.

As many of the myths around marijuana have been dispelled, the medical benefits have become much more widely accepted in recent years, in addition to the legalization of recreational use of the organic substance in communities and states across the country. According to U.S. News & World Report, 20 states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana use.

The prevailing national sentiment regarding marijuana has not been lost on the Yellowhammer State, either, as the economic benefits have been touted by state policymakers in the push to allow medicinal cannabis derivatives in Alabama.

Widely-accepted data from one study says Alabama is projected to retail approximately $48 million in the first full year of medical marijuana sales, before that number nearly triples to $163 million in the second year.

In the third year of medical marijuana sales, Akerna predicts Alabama could net approximately $387 million in revenue.

The Tuscaloosa City Council's Administration Committee is set to meet on Tuesday, Aug. 16 at 4 p.m. in Tuscaloosa City Hall.

The measure could go before the full City Council for presentation as soon as Aug. 23.

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