The week had been a successful process. The presenters made us see things that we might not have seen otherwise. You can’t really tell in a paper application .”
By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission awarded 20 licenses Friday for the production of medical marijuana in its third effort to start the new industry in the state.
The awards were given after three-day presentations by applicants, and months of litigation regarding the AMCC’s previous methods of evaluating application.
Rex Vaughn said, “The AMCC chair stated that the AMCC had a successful process last week. The presenters made us see things that we might not have seen otherwise. You can’t see these things in a paper-based application.
The commission awarded licenses for every category–cultivator, processor, dispensary, secure transport and testing lab–except for integrated facilities, which can produce medical cannabis products from seed to shelf. The commission expects these companies to submit their applications next week. The awards are expected to be announced on December 12.
The commission may award up to twelve licenses, four for those who wish to process cannabis and four for those who intend to distribute the product. No caps apply to licenses for testing laboratories and secure transporters.
Antoine Mordican received a cultivator’s license on Friday. Native Black Cultivation was one of the two companies that were denied a licence in the first awards.
Mordican stated that he was “happy [to be] where [he] thought [he] [deserved] to be.”
He said, “I am happy that the Commission was able hear my presentation and recognize the person who operates the company.”
AMCC awarded the first licenses in June. However, scoring inconsistencies 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 The commission rescinded the awards for a second round, and began negotiating with claimants about a way to proceed with the awards.
After months of legal disputes and stagnant settlement negotiations that sparked the latest round applications, the AMCC adopted new rules for licensing and application in October.
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, 2020. 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.
Twelve applicants competed for 12 cultivator licences. Twelve more applicants applied for four processor licenses while 18 applied for the dispensary licenses. The commission received 11 applications for transport licenses and three for testing licenses.
Mordican stated that working twice as fast as usual is second nature for him as a Black male. He claimed that he had used all the tools available to him from the start in order to give the commission information about his business. He received over 100 comments about his application and attended nearly all commission meetings.
He said, “I am relentless as an individual.” “We will continue to push forward and help people along the journey.”
AMCC Licenses awarded:
| Cultivators |
Location |
|---|---|
| CRC of Alabama | Register your office in Troy |
| Greenway Botanicals | The registered office is located in Anniston |
| Gulf Shore Remedies | Fairhope is located in Baldwin County |
| Native Black Cultivation | Bessemer |
| Creek Leaf Wellness | Birmingham |
| Twisted Herbs Cultivation | Greenville |
| I AM FARMS | Knoxville |
| Processors |
Location |
| Organic Harvest Lab | Bessemer |
| Coosa Medical Manufacturing | Centreville |
| 1819 Labs | Dothan |
| Jasper Development Group Inc. | Jasper in Walker County |
| Dispensary |
Location |
| CCS of Alabama | The Birmingham law firm Maynard lists its address on all business records |
| GP6 Wellness | Birmingham |
| Capitol Medical | Auburn |
| RJK Holdings Al | According to business records, the office is located near the State House of Montgomery. |
| Secure Transport |
Location |
| Alabama Secure Transport | Montgomery |
| Tyler Van Lines | Troy |
| PICK MY ITEMS | Dothan |
| International Communication | Birmingham |
| Testing Lab |
Location |
| Certus Laboratories | Grand Bay, Mobile County |
This article was originally published by Alabama Reflector.
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The post Alabama Regulators award Medical Marijuana Business Licenses for the Third Time first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
