MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama health officials are taking a cautious step on marijuana rescheduling even as the federal government moves ahead, underscoring how the state remains behind a policy shift that advocates say should have happened long ago.
The governing body of the Alabama Department of Public Health voted to object to the federal marijuana rescheduling move so it can have more time to determine how the change would be implemented in Alabama, according to published reports. State officials have said they still intend to implement the change after the review period.
At the federal level, the Justice Department has already moved FDA-approved marijuana products and marijuana tied to state medical marijuana licenses from Schedule I to Schedule III, and it has set an expedited hearing for June 29, 2026, to consider whether marijuana more broadly should be rescheduled. That means Alabama’s pause is about timing and process, not a federal halt.
The dispute comes as Alabama’s medical cannabis program has already faced years of delay. The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission has worked through licensing and program rollout, and, in December, dispensary licenses were approved as the state moved closer to making medical marijuana available.
Critics of prohibition say Alabama’s latest delay reflects an outdated view of marijuana that ignores how widely the drug is already used and the research on its effects. Federal and medical sources say rescheduling does not legalize recreational marijuana and does not remove all legal penalties, but it does reduce some restrictions and recognizes medical use more clearly.