On Monday, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) will inform applicants whether their application has been accepted or rejected. The AMCC is tasked with regulating Alabama’s nascent medical cannabis industry. Only a limited number of permits will be accepted for farmers and businesses seeking to participate in the Alabama Cannabis Industry
Ninety applications were accepted by the Commission at their meeting on April 13.
The Commission will consider the following number of applications by license type:
· 12 cultivator applications
· 11 processor applications
· 18 dispensary applications
· 9 secure transporter applications
· 2 state testing laboratory applications
· 38 integrated facility applications
The integrated facility application was the most popular. Business entities that receive an integrated facility license will be allowed to grow, process, transport, and sell medical cannabis, while the other applications strictly limit applicants to their role in the supply chain. The 2021 legislation legalizing medical cannabis in Alabama strictly limits the maximum number of licenses the AMCC can award.
The Commission may award up to twelve cultivator licenses, four processor licenses, four dispensary licenses, five integrated facility licenses, and an unspecified number of secure transport and state testing laboratory licenses.
The Commission was assisted in reviewing the applications by the University of South Alabama. The names of the 90 applicants and application contents (as redacted by applicants) were made available for public inspection on April 14, 2023. Public comments in favor or opposed to granting a license to a particular applicant were introduced electronically through the AMCC website between April 14 and May 14.
Chey Garrigan is the founder and executive director of the Alabama Cannabis Industry Association. Garrigan said that the medical cannabis legislation that passed the Legislature in 2021 was due to broad bipartisan grassroots efforts.
“This is an Alabama phenomenon,” Garrigan said.
“Congratulations to all the applicants who received permits from the Commission today,” Garrigan said. (ACIA). “We in the ACIA look forward to working with you to make your business, and the Alabama cannabis industry as a whole as successful as possible.”
Alabama has one of the most restrictive medical cannabis laws in the nation. No out-of-state product can be lawfully brought into the state. Dispensaries in Alabama will not fill medical cannabis orders from other states, and dispensaries in Alabama cannot market other products. Advertising is strictly limited. A patient must have one of the qualifying medical conditions, and patients must get a recommendation from their doctor. Raw plant product is still illegal; there is no lawful home-grow in Alabama. No smokable products can be sold, doctors must receive special training in order to be qualified to make cannabis recommendations, and dosage is strictly limited by statute except for terminal patients.
People with a legitimate medical need for cannabis will be able to purchase products in Alabama, perhaps as soon as the end of this year.
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