On September 1, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission will allow interested Alabamians to download the forms to apply to be a licensed medical marijuana grower, transporter, processor, dispensary operator, or vertical integrator.
Alabama Today spoke with Antoine Mordican, who hopes to be one of the medical cannabis growers on Monday.
“The commission published their fees on their website today,” Mordican said. “The fee ($40,000 to be a grower/cultivator) is about what I expected.”
Cultivator licenses are $40,000 a year, integrator $50,000, processor $40,000, secure transporter $30,000, and state testing laboratory $30,000. The fee must be paid annually, and the number of licenses is strictly controlled by the state. A non-refundable application fee of $2,500 must also be paid to the Commission just for applying for a license.
Mordican, an engineer, said that his facility would be all indoors and use hydroponics.
“We will use LED lighting throughout (to grow the plants), and there will be sensors in every room so that the plants get the water that they need.”
“There will be no wastewater,” Mordican continued. “There will be a water recirculation system so that it all gets used by the plants.”
Mordican said that he is still in the “raising capital” phase of this venture but explained he has been growing hemp for going on three seasons, so all of his processes for growing cannabis are currently in use by him in the real world. However, the marijuana growing facility would be new and a custom build from the ground up.
Mordican said that “building relationships” is preferable to him over simply finding financiers who want to make a fast buck in the medical cannabis industry.
Medical marijuana is harvested from the buds, meaning that the rest of the plants become waste products. Mordican said that he hopes to be able to recycle the excess plant material as hempcrete or other industrial applications.
“There is no composting,” in Mordican’s system because hydroponics do not require a soil medium, Mordican explained.
Mordican’s facility will be in Jefferson County. County Commissions and city governments will have a say on whether or not marijuana cultivation will be allowed in their jurisdictions.
Chey Garrigan is the executive director and founder of the Alabama Cannabis Industry Association.
“We are working with producers on understanding the licensing process,” Garrigan said. “Potential producers need to understand that there is going to be some upfront costs involved with applying for a license.”
The Commission has estimated that it will be late 2023 at the earliest before Alabamians will be able to purchase Alabama-grown medical cannabis, as the licensing process will take 11 months, and then the licensees still have to build their facilities.
“The important thing to us is that Alabamians with a legitimate medical need can lawfully get the help that they need,” Garrigan said.
The Alabama State Legislature passed medical cannabis legislation in the Spring of 2021 and tasked the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission with regulating the new industry.
According to the commission’s latest timeline, applicants have until October 17 to request application forms.
According to recent polling, marijuana has surpassed cigarettes and tobacco use, reaching a new all-time high. 16% of Americans report having used marijuana in the last week versus just 11% for cigarettes. Cigarette usage dropped from 16% last year to 11% in the most recent survey, while marijuana has increased from 12% use to 16% in the same time period.
Marijuana, whether used medically or recreationally, remains illegal federally.
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