Cannabis commission puts emergency pause on licenses
Days after making a step toward making medical marijuana available in Alabama, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission is taking a step back.
On Friday, the commission voted to stay all proceedings related to offering medical cannabis business licenses after having approved about a dozen cultivators, processors, dispensaries and other businesses on Monday.
According to the AMCC, they’re pausing handing out licenses July 10 because they discovered potential inconsistencies in how businesses were scored during the research phase. A total of 90 businesses were in the running for potential business licenses.
In a statement, the commission said it’s seeking an independent review of all scoring data.
“The Commission will work expeditiously to investigate and identify inconsistencies in the score data” said AMCC Director John McMillan. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are suspending all current procedural timelines until those matters are resolved.”
Here’s what the stay means for businesses and the future of medical marijuana sales:
- Applicants awarded a license June 12 don’t have to pay their license fees by June 26
- Applicants denied a license June 12 don’t have to submit a request for an investigative hearing by June 26
- Licenses awarded June 12 won’t be issued July 10
The commission will reconsider awarding licenses and offer an updated timeline for license fee payments, investigative hearings and license issuance at some point after the stay is lifted.
Had the stay not been issued, Alabama would be on track to have medical marijuana available in the state by late this year or early next year. It’s uncertain whether that timeline will be affected by this move.
The businesses approved at Monday’s meeting include:
- Integrated facilities
- Flowerwood Medical Cannabis, based in Loxley
- Southeast Cannabis Company, based in Theodore
- Sustainable Alabama, based in Salem
- TheraTrue Alabama, based in Demopolis
- Verano Alabama, owned by Verano Holdings Corp. and based in Chicago
- Cultivator licenses
- Blackberry Farms, based in Dothan
- Gulf Shores Remedies, based in Fairhope
- Pure by Sirmon Farms, based in Daphne
- Twisted Herb Cultivation, based in Greenville
- Processor licenses
- 1819 Labs, based in Dothan
- Enchanted Green, based in Dothan
- Jasper Development Group, based in Jasper
- Organic Harvest Lab, based in Bessemer
- Dispensary licenses
- CCS of Alabama, based in Birmingham
- RJK Holdings AL, based in Montgomery
- Statewide Property Holdings AL, owned by Statewide Property Holdings with locations in Cullman, Foley and Gadsden
- Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries, owned by Yellowhammer Holistics and based in Birmingham
- Secure transport licenses
- Alabama Secure Transport, based in Montgomery
- International Communication, based in Birmingham
- Tyler Van Lines, based in Troy
- State testing laboratory license
- Certus Laboratories, based in Grand Bay
Notably absent from this list is Tuscaloosa business magnate Stan Pate’s Evexia Plus.
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