SB165 - Alabama Medical Cannabis Compassion Act

• Establishes the "Compassion Act" to allow registered patients with qualifying medical conditions (including cancer, epilepsy, PTSD, chronic pain, and others) to legally purchase and use medical cannabis under physician supervision, with protections from arrest and prosecution.

• Creates the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission to license and regulate cultivators, processors, dispensaries, secure transporters, and testing laboratories; requires seed-to-sale tracking system and establishes operating standards for all medical cannabis facilities.

• Implements a patient registry system requiring physician certification, patient registration, and issuance of medical cannabis cards; limits patient purchases to 60 daily dosages per 60-day period with maximum 70-day possession limit.

• Imposes a 9% retail sales tax on medical cannabis sales and annual privilege tax on licensees; establishes Medical Cannabis Commission Fund for administration and Medical Cannabis Research Fund for university research grants.

• Prohibits recreational use; restricts product forms to tablets, capsules, topicals, tinctures, patches, and inhalers (excluding smoking/vaping); provides employment protections for qualified patients while allowing employers to maintain drug-free workplace policies.