Medical marijuana could be available as early as March

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission anticipates that Alabamians with a demonstrated medical need will be able to obtain lawful Alabama-grown medical cannabis by spring. This expectation follows the commission’s recent passage of a timeline for issuing medical cannabis licenses at its meeting on Thursday in Montgomery.

Commission Chairman Rex Vaughn informed reporters that the cannabis products would become available in March.

“This action paves the way for us to award business licenses by the end of the year,” Vaughn said. “We have an aggressive timeline ahead, but we believe it’s crucial to start this industry promptly for both applicants and patients.”

The commission rescinded its previous medical cannabis business license awards from August. Applicants who received awards, as well as those who were denied, will have a fresh opportunity to compete under the new procedures. These procedures were established through the emergency rules adopted by the Commission during its previous meeting.

The new procedures received approval from Montgomery Circuit Judge James Anderson.

Starting at the end of next month, the license applicants will make their presentations to the commission. All presentations will be open to the public.

Nov. 27 – applicants for cultivator and state testing laboratory licenses.
Nov. 28 – secure transporter and processor applicants.
Nov. 29 – cannabis dispensary applicants.
Dec. 4-8 – integrated facility applicants. An integrated facility license permits the business entity to cultivate, process, transport, and dispense medical cannabis within their own vertically integrated operation. It is the most sought-after license, with 30 applicants competing for a maximum of five licenses.

The commission is accepting public comments either supporting or opposing license issuance to specific applicants. Comments must be submitted electronically the commission’s website by Nov. 26.

Applicants also have the chance to address preliminary pass/fail items highlighted by the Commission. They can submit exhibits that weren’t previously filed because of file size restrictions in the application portal. The revised procedures also clarify the type of information that can be redacted from applications.

Vaughn underscored the Commission’s autonomy in making licensing decisions.

“The commission’s guidelines clearly indicate that it retains full discretion concerning license award decisions. Rule 538-x-3-.12 partly reads, ‘the Commission remains the primary decision-maker concerning licensing and can act without any third-party evaluation or recommendation,’” he said.

The commission plans to grant cultivator, processor, dispensary, secure transporter, and state testing laboratory licenses Dec. 1. Integrated facility licenses will be awarded Dec. 12.

This will mark the commission’s third time awarding licenses.

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