MOBILE, Ala. (NBC 15) — The first medical cannabis dispensaries in Alabama are preparing to open next year after four companies were awarded licenses on Thursday. One of the companies, RJK Holdings, plans to open dispensaries in Mobile and Daphne. Doctors have to be certified before recommending it to patients. Sixty doctors have taken the state-mandated course required to approve a patient’s medical cannabis card, according to the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. Dr. Marshall Walker, a radiologist in Mobile, says he took the course after Alabama legalized medical cannabis in 2021. He’s seen firsthand how beneficial it is.
“My mom had esophageal cancer,” said Walker.
Walker’s mother thankfully is now cancer free. He says where her tumor was located made eating painful, but, he says, she was able to avoid a feeding tube and taking pain medicines that cause stomach bleeding and ulcers because she self-medicated with cannabis purchased out of state where it was legal…