Medical cannabis may now be dispensed in the City of Russellville.

The Russellville City Council passed Ordinance No. 2022-102, to authorize the operation of medical cannabis dispensing sites within the corporate limits of the City of Russellville, during its Sept. 6 meeting.

The council met Tuesday instead of Monday in observance of Labor Day.

The ordinance states the city council “believes it is in the public’s interest to authorize the operation of dispensing sites within the corporate limits of the City of Russellville.”

The ordinance states, in part:

• The Russellville City Council does hereby authorize the operation of medical cannabis dispensing sites by dispensary licensees and integrated facility licensees within the corporate limits of the City of Russellville.
• The City Clerk or designee is hereby directed to forward a copy of this ordinance to the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission within seven calendar days after its adoption.

The action comes after the 2021 regular session of the Alabama legislature, where Act 2021-450 was enacted and codified to create within Alabama “a wholly interstate system of the cultivation, processing and distribution of medical cannabis.”

A “dispensary,” as defined by the act, is “an entity licensed by the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission to dispense and sell medical cannabis at the dispensing sites to registered, qualified patients and registered caregivers.

An “integrated facility” is “licensed to perform the functions of a cultivator, processor, secure transporter and dispensary.”

A dispensary licensee or integrated facility license may not operate a dispensing site within a municipality unless the governing body of that municipality has authorized, by ordinance, the operation of dispensing sites. Tuesday’s action does just that in the City of Russellville.

According to legislation, a program providing for the administration of cannabis derivatives for medical use in this state will not only benefit patients by providing relief from pain and other debilitating symptoms but will also provide opportunities for patients with debilitating conditions to function and have a better quality of life, as well as provide employment and business opportunities for farmers.