“Discussions between lawyers have not produced any issues that the Commission should be considering at this time.”
By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
Negotiations are ongoing between the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission and attorneys for companies who sued over licensing.
AMCC cancelled a meeting scheduled for Tuesday after both sides met Friday to discuss an impasse which has prevented the commission issuing licenses.
The AMCC’s website posted a statement that stated that the “discussions between lawyers” had not produced any issues that the Commission needed to consider right now, but called the dialogue productive.
Will Somerville said that Tuesday, the talks were a positive step forward. He is the attorney for Alabama Always, the cannabis company which has sued the state over its issuance of licenses.
Somerville stated, “I can tell you that on Friday we met with the Commission’s lawyers and staff, and I presented my reasons for not moving ahead.” “They listened to us.”
He said that from the plaintiff’s point of view, it was “certainly” a beginning. However, he didn’t provide any specifics.
AMCC is facing several lawsuits regarding the licensing process. In the lawsuits, it is alleged that the AMCC violated the Open Meetings Act of the state while granting licenses on August 10, or improperly voiding licenses granted earlier.
Alabama Always, who sued the commission when it didn’t get a license during the first round of awarding, wants the third round to include site inspections or, at the very least, a requirement for applicants to provide videos of their facility, Somerville said previously. The company wants the commission also to review previous scores.
Early in September, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge James Anderson extended a temporary restraint order to allow negotiations to proceed. The AMCC chair Rex Vaughn stated that a third award would be likely at the meeting where the commission issued an administrative stay.
He said that the next step would be for the commission “to present to plaintiffs a proposed way forward.”
Brittany Peters is the spokesperson for AMCC. She said that the AMCC expects to continue the dialogue.
She said: “At the moment, I am unable to estimate when a particular proposal will be prepared or considered by the Commission.”
Somerville says he is surprised that a meeting of lawyers has not been scheduled yet. He said it would be surprising if a meeting isn’t held before the next meeting of the commission on October 12.
Will Webster, a lawyer for AMCC did not respond to a comment request.
Aretha Dix, a former member of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Study Commission and dispensary license applicant who was denied a licence, believes the process to be unfair. She hopes the commission will hold discussions with applicants regarding vague scoring. She questioned if the commission had even considered her application.
She said, “I felt that if they had looked at the applications they would have seen how much experience some people have.”
She said that she can sell her business face-to-face but it’s harder to do if you upload an application on a portal.
“I think they should have a face to face.” She said, “This is what I’d love to see.” Have a face-toface meeting with your applicants, and explain to them why they were not selected.
This article was originally published by The Alabama Reflector.
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The post Alabama Medical Marijuana Regulators Still Negating Settlement Of Licensing Process Lawsuit first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
