The state’s first medical marijuana dispensary is opening soon, marking another milestone in getting products from the ground to the hands of people in Alabama who need them. No one has obtained medical cannabis in Alabama just yet because the process is not quite complete. But we do know some residents have been able to get medical marijuana cards.
The process of getting medical cannabis from the plant to the patient starts with growers, like Antoine Mordican. He’s already begun selling to processors. Processing is the next step.
Once Homestead Health in Jasper takes control, they turn the plants into products like gummies and pills.
The final product then goes to a dispensary that will sell it to patients who’ve received medical cannabis cards through a certified doctor. Callie’s Apothecary in Montgomery will be the first to open in the state. Inside, patients with medical cannabis cards will soon be able to choose how they want to ingest their medicine. From tablets to gummies to tinctures. Vince Schilleci is one of the owners.
He said, “It’s the same medicine, it’s still THC, it’s just how you take that.”
In Alabama, you must have a qualifying condition to be eligible for medical cannabis.
According to Schilleci, “I think where we’ll see the most patients come in probably three areas: depression, chronic pain, terminal illness.”
Callie’s Apothecary will be the first, and at least for a time, the only medical cannabis store in the state of Alabama. Schilleci said, based on the emails and calls he’s received, he believes patients will travel, in some cases for hours, to get there on opening day, so they want to be ready.
“We have a feeling that if you have a car, you’re going to be coming to our store within the first week. And so, you know, there’s 250 patients. We expect to see that in our first week,” Schilleci said.
He said after testing is complete, they hope to be able to open in the next several days and while insurance will not cover this medicine, he’s trying to keep prices reasonable with 100 mg of THC running under $60.
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The dispensary’s area manager, Alora Frank, has worked in Florida’s medical cannabis industry for several years. She said she’s just eager to get these meds in the hands of those who need them.
Frank added, “You start to see people come in and they tell you, ‘Wow, I was able to stop this medication and stop that medication.’ Or you have a patient that had to come in with a wheelchair and then can come in on their own power. It’s very, very fulfilling.”
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