By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission began hearing from companies seeking to build medical cannabis facilities that are all-inclusive on Tuesday.
The presentations will take place from Tuesday to Friday. The commission will then award licenses the following week.
The commission gave applicants who wanted to apply for integrated facility licenses (which would allow them to grow, process, and distribute medical marijuana) up to 45-minutes to present their case. The majority of companies emphasized their ability to get products quickly to patients.
Chuck Smith, Southeast Cannabis Company’s chief operating officer, said: “We will produce [medical marijuana] products within several months. We can grow the plant as quickly as we can harvest it.”
Smith stated that they could have their products ready as soon as June if they start operating in January.
AMCC Chair Rex Vaughn stated that, while the AMCC is looking at how quickly dispensaries are able to get products out to patients, hearing about companies’ businesses has been very valuable.
He said, “I think we’re all interested in their ability to be aggressive with time since there have been delays after delays up until this point.” “But what we really want to hear is them being honest with us, and telling us what their game plan is and how deliberate they are with what they intend to do.”
Five integrated facility licenses will be granted by the commission.
Vaughn declared that it would be “nearly impossible”. “It was like last time–we felt fuzzy because we had selected some great ones but we couldn’t pick any more.”
Five dispensaries will be operated by each integrated facility. They will be responsible for the cultivation of cannabis and the sale of its product.
The Commission awarded 20 licenses to businesses that provide individual services including cultivation, processing, and dispensing on Friday. A fully integrated facility will be able to grow and cultivate medical cannabis.
36 entities applied for licenses to operate integrated facilities. Two companies withdrew from the race, leaving 38 in contention.
Some applicants addressed their perceived weaknesses in their application, such as issues with residency, while others appealed to emotion when they spoke about their experience in agricultural.
Nell Maisel is a co-owner at Jemmstone Alabama and one of the applicants for an integrated facility. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis about 20 years ago. She said that this led her to invest medical cannabis in various states, most recently in Florida, where she acquired an integrated facility licence.
Maisel, however, cited her Alabama roots. She cites her education at the public schools of the state, along with a University of Alabama degree.
“I have done a lot reading. It helps people and that’s my concern–especially for my home state, Alabama. She said, “I care because the team is more than 70 percent Alabamian.
The AMCC awarded the first licenses in June. However, scoring irregularities caused the commission to annul the awards and reevaluate all applications.
In August , a lawsuit claiming that the commission had violated the Open Meetings Act stopped the process once again. The commission rescinded the awards again, and negotiated with the claimants to determine a way to proceed with the awards.
After months of legal disputes and stagnant settlement negotiations that set in motion the latest round applications, the AMCC adopted new licensing rules .
Alabama’s state legislature approved a medical marijuana program in 2021. However, the legislation authorizing the program didn’t allow for licenses to be granted until September 1, 2022. AMCC started accepting applications in late 2018.
Patients certified by participating doctors will be able use medical cannabis to treat 15 conditions including cancer, chronic back pain, depression, and Parkinson’s Disease once the product becomes available. Patients must apply for a medical cannabis card in order to purchase it from licensed distributors.
The law prohibits the consumption of medical cannabis in food or as a smoked product. The products will come in the form of tablets, capsules or gelatins. They can also be found as oils, gels or creams. Cannabis gummies can only be peach flavored.
Vaughn explained that these presentations help the commission pick companies with a “minimal risk of problems” and based on the information presented by the applicants.
He said, “I think these presentations exposed us to that.” These companies or applicants are the ones who will give us the best chance to start the industry as quickly and smoothly as possible.
This article was originally published by Alabama Reflector.
Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
The first time Marijuana Moment published the post Alabama Applicants for Vertically Integrated Marijuana Business Licenses Present Their Cases to Regulators.
