What could you do with nearly $8 million? Better yet, what could the State of Alabama do with it? We could invest in education, fix our roads and bridges, or provide better resources for veterans. Instead, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) is wasting it.
The AMCC, created in 2021 after the passage of the Darren Wesley “Ato” Hall Compassion Act, was supposed to give Alabamians access to medical cannabis by 2023. Yet, here we are, nearly four years later, with no relief for patients and a staggering $7.8 million spent by the commission. This is taxpayer money—your money—being mismanaged.
Let’s look at the facts. In December 2022, the AMCC opened applications for cannabis production with clear, strict requirements laid out by the legislature. Applicants were required to post a $2 million performance bond, demonstrate readiness to cultivate cannabis within 60 days, and meet other stringent conditions. Yet, licenses were granted to some who failed to meet these requirements. When the law isn’t followed, legal challenges are inevitable. That’s exactly what happened, as qualified applicants who were denied licenses sought justice through the courts.
Commissioner John McMillan has dismissed these lawsuits as “frivolous,” but nothing could be further from the truth. These lawsuits arose because the AMCC ignored the law, plain and simple. Taxpayers are now footing the bill for their mistakes. In fiscal year 2022, the commission spent over $1 million, ballooning to almost $4 million in 2024—including $770,000 on legal fees alone. Since its inception, the AMCC has spent nearly $8 million—averaging $6,500 per day and $191,000 per month.
Even as a new fiscal year began on October 1, 2024, the spending spree continues. In the first month alone, the commission spent $559,000, including $166,000 on legal fees. Meanwhile, Alabamians suffering from debilitating illnesses like cancer, epilepsy, chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD, and other qualifying conditions remain empty-handed, with no access to the relief that medical cannabis could provide.
State commissions are entrusted with the responsibility of being good stewards of public funds. Instead, the AMCC has turned into a glaring example of government waste and mismanagement. Alabama’s patients are still suffering, and taxpayers are left holding the bag.
I am calling on Commissioner McMillan and the AMCC to stop wasting our money. End these costly legal battles. Follow the law as the legislature intended. Alabama taxpayers—and the patients who have been waiting for years—deserve better. It’s time to bring accountability back to the AMCC.
Merika Coleman is a member of the Alabama State Senate, representing District 19 in Jefferson County since 2022.
