Unfortunately, not all of us will be here when the product is ready.” Not everyone will be present when the product is ready .”
By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
Antoine Mordican holds a license for medical cannabis cultivation. He is currently building a facility in order to start growing the product.
According to state law, the applicant must demonstrate that he is able to maintain his cultivation facilities, use an approved inventory control system, can begin cannabis cultivation in 60 days or less; dispose of plant waste as per regulations; and maintain financial stability.
Mordican, CEO of Native Black Cultivation, said, “I am building, getting everything in order, getting all the parameters in place and everything to be in compliance such as security.”
How he approaches the situation will determine when he sees actual marijuana plants growing.
It would take six to eight month to get his first harvest if he starts with seed.
Growing from a clone or cutting of a plant in growth would take closer to four to five months. Mordican admitted that he may consider that method, but said that he is not in a hurry.
He said that everyone has their own technique. “My goal is compliance with revenue rules and regulations.”
A Long Wait
In 2021 , the Alabama Legislature has approved a medical cannabis program. Patients certified by participating doctors will be able use medical cannabis to treat 15 conditions including cancer, chronic back pain, depression, and Parkinson’s. Patients must apply for a medical cannabis card in order to purchase it from licensed distributors.
The law prohibits the consumption of cannabis in food or as a cigarette. Cannabis will be sold in tablets, capsules and gelatins such as gummies. It can also be found in oils, gels or creams. Cannabis gummies can only be peach flavored.
The product is not yet delivered. The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission began receiving applications in late 2022. revoked licenses issued by the AMCC in June due to scoring errors. The AMCC then rescinded awards in August following a lawsuit alleging Open Meetings Act violations. In October , the AMCC published new licensing rules. In December, the commission issued licenses for a third time. However, litigation stopped the licensing process in January.
The legal battle over the charges has brought the entire process to a standstill. Even if the suits are settled, it may be months before the state has legal medical cannabis.
Aaron Smith, CEO and co-founder of the National Cannabis Industry Association said it is possible to harvest indoors in just three months. He expects that some growers may need more time, particularly in the initial stages, due to their inexperience in determining factors which can affect growth such as soil and climate conditions.
The fastest I’ve heard over the years is usually between three and five months. Smith said that it’s a cycle, so I don’t think people are surprised to be ready in three months.
Mordican explained that he could freeze the plant or cure it, depending on the needs of the processor. He can also cut the entire plant down if the processor wants to extract THC from parts other than the flower.
Paul Armentano said, as the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, (NORML), that Alabama’s medical marijuana law prohibits smoking. Therefore, the THC compound has to be extracted by processors in order to make the products that are allowed under the law. He explained that it will not be as easy as just growing and harvesting a plant.
Armentano explained that “first you have to grow marijuana and then harvest the flower, you then need to transform that flower into something that Alabama law will allow to be sold, as it does not allow for the flower to sell.”
The extraction time can vary between a few seconds and several hours depending on the technique. Once the THC has been extracted, it can then be used to make medical cannabis products.
Jason Cobb, the owner and CEO at Organic Harvest Lab, which was granted a license to process organic products, stated that the current processing method may take a week from the time the plant leaves the cultivator until it is packaged. It may take a little longer in the beginning because employees are learning the Alabama system for monitoring the market.
“Once they’ve put it into our facility, that doesn’t mean it will immediately go into the extraction. We will make sure we integrate it into the system and account for it. Cobb explained that it is not an easy process.
He wants to give the best products to his patients. This is why he uses an extraction method which may take more time. Alabama medical products cannot be coated with sugar to mask the taste of marijuana. His extraction method eliminates the taste.
He said: “We think we have the best extraction methods so you won’t taste that skunky or that terpene flavour.”
“We knew it was coming”
Melissa Mullins is a patient advocate who said that when the Legislature passed a law establishing a legal market for medical cannabis in the state she was “cautiously hopeful” that by the end 2022 the state would be able to sell medical cannabis products.
We knew that the implementation of the program would involve trial and error. Were we pleased with it? No, it was not for us. Mullins stated that “sick, suffering and dying people do not have time to waste.”
She predicted that there would be delays as soon as the licenses are awarded.
We knew it was coming. She said, “We have seen Alabama go down the same path as other states we had spoken to and researched.”
Armentano agrees. He stated that the process could have been sped up if Alabama lawmakers had considered programs in other states instead of focusing on creating a restrictive program.
“To me, the most frustrating thing about this situation is that Alabama had 30+ states, many of which had been running programs for over three decades. We could have learned from them–what to do and what not to do. But our lawmakers didn’t take any notice,” he added.
Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, who sponsored the bill 2021 did not respond to a comment request.
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Armentano stated that it is impossible to predict how long the legal process will last. Georgia, which has not been able to reach its full capacity after making low-THC products for medical cannabis available in certain conditions for eight years, faced lawsuits due to its limited licenses. The first dispensary opened in Georgia in 2023.
He said that “too often we see that these GOP led efforts are more interested to be able bragging rights of having passed the most restrictive law on medical marijuana in the country and that they prioritize this goal over actually writing a law that works for patients and implement it,”
He said that every state’s program was different and faced unique challenges both during and after the rollout. “We’re talking 38 states, so there’s really no rule-of-thumb,” he added, but that many states who started with a small program changed their rules in order to make it available to more patients.
“I’d like to emphasize that these programs are expanding over time so they’re more accessible so they can serve a larger number of patients and so more healthcare professionals can get involved. Armentano noted that many states have done this over the years.
No bill addressing medical marijuana had been introduced in the Alabama Legislature as of Monday.
“Those of who live with chronic pain every day, are trying desperately to endure it. Unfortunately, we won’t all be around when the product is ready. Mullins: “There’s a darker side to medical cannabis regulation, which people are reluctant to discuss.
Originally published by Alabama Reflector.
Alabama Medical Marijuana Regulators Offer Update On Ongoing Legal Fights And Licensing
The post Alabama Medical Marijuana Could Take Months to Access, Even after Licensing Cases End first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
