Tag: Alabama

Alabama Judge Blocks Marijuana Regulators From Issuing Licenses For Vertically Integrated Facilities

January 5, 2024 · Marijuana Moment

A Montgomery County Circuit Judge Wednesday evening blocked the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) from issuing licenses for all-inclusive facilities amid ongoing lawsuits over the commission’s selection process. Judge James Anderson wrote in the order that the commission’s third round of license awards, in December, following two attempts earlier in 2023, started on “uneven grounds” because there are unresolved, ongoing litigation regarding the first two. “The court also notes that all three rounds of awards have been challenged as legally infirm: the… Read more.

Alabama medical cannabis launch blocked again

January 5, 2024 · MJ Biz Daily

Birmingham, Alabama, USA downtown city skyline.

An Alabama judge this week halted the state’s latest efforts to issue medical cannabis licenses. After issuing a temporary restraining order blocking the issuance of dispensary-only permits in late December, Montgomery County Circuit Judge James Anderson on Wednesday also stopped regulators from handing out so-called “integrated” licenses ahead of an anticipated Jan. 9 award date, AL.com reported. And there’s a “serious question” whether the state might need to abandon the current licensing round and start over for a fourth time, the judge wrote in… Read more.

Alabama vows 2024 medical marijuana launch despite latest legal obstacle

January 2, 2024 · MJ Biz Daily

Alabama regulators ended 2023 with a promise that the first legal sale of medical marijuana will happen sometime in 2024. But MMJ sales in the state cannot begin until dispensary licenses are issued, a process that an Alabama circuit judge temporarily blocked last Friday, the Associated Press reported. Alabama legalized medical marijuana in 2021, but a series of challenges to how the state judged license applications and awarded permits have kept MMJ businesses and patients waiting. After two earlier attempts to award… Read more.

Alabama’s Medical Cannabis Licensing Process to be Disputed in Court Today

December 28, 2023 · Ganjapreneur

In the latest development from Alabama’s nascent medical cannabis industry, several companies including Southeast Cannabis, TheraTrue 3 Notch Root, Alabama Always, and Jemmstone are set to make their legal case against the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) today, as reported by the Alabama Political Reporter. The applicants are contesting the commission’s methods of awarding medical cannabis licenses, asserting that the AMCC’s decisions during a crucial December 12 meeting were procedurally flawed, specifically criticizing the handling of application scoring and electronic files,… Read more.

Alabama issues integrated licenses to 5 medical marijuana operators

December 13, 2023 · MJ Biz Daily

Alabama regulators issued five integrated licenses to medical marijuana companies, finalizing the state’s small batch of initial permits for MMJ retailers, suppliers and processors. After hearing presentations last week, according to AL.com, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) on Tuesday selected the following companies in what has been a contentious and controversial process: Flowerwood Medical Cannabis. Specialty Medical Products of Alabama. Sustainable Alabama. Trulieve AL. Wagon Trail Med-Serv. License winners have 13 days to pay the $2,500 license application fee and the… Read more.

Alabama Regulators Award Medical Marijuana Business Licenses—For Third Time

December 2, 2023 · marijuanamoment-net

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission Friday awarded 20 licenses for the production and distribution of medical cannabis in its third attempt to get the new industry started in the state. The awards followed three days of presentations from applicants and months of litigation over the AMCC’s prior methods of evaluating applications. “The week we had had a good process—it’s worked well,” said Rex Vaughn, the chair of the AMCC. “The presenters brought things to the forefront that maybe we didn’t see otherwise,… Read more.

Alabama Regulators Plan to Issue Medical Cannabis Licenses by December 12

November 1, 2023 · Ganjapreneur

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) is now aiming to get industry licenses awarded by December, in what its chairman calls an “aggressive” timeline after a summer of starts and stops, WIAT reports. The agency voted last week to officially rescind the previous licenses and laid out a new timeline that would issue the licenses by the end of the year with products available in the spring.  In June, the AMCC awarded the first round of medical cannabis licenses, but days later paused the process due to… Read more.

Alabama to make another attempt Dec. 1 to award medical cannabis licenses

October 28, 2023 · MJ Biz Daily

Alabama regulators are targeting Dec. 1 to award the first batch of medical cannabis business licenses after the agency’s first two attempts were scrapped because of scoring errors and litigation. The first licenses will be awarded to individual cultivators, delivery providers, processors, dispensaries and state testing labs, according to the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC). Then, on Dec. 12, the AMCC will award licenses for vertically integrated operations, a designation set primarily for multistate operators. Licenses are expected to be handed out… Read more.

Alabama Regulators Plan To Issue Medical Cannabis Licenses By Year’s End

October 16, 2023 · High Times

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) hopes to issue licenses for medical marijuana cultivators and distributors by the end of 2023, officials with the agency said last week. The plan, which was approved by the commission on October 12, comes following multiple lawsuits were filed challenging the rollout of the state’s medical cannabis program. Alabama state lawmakers legalized the use of medical cannabis for patients with certain qualifying conditions in 2021. But nearly two and a half years later, cannabis… Read more.

Alabama Medical Cannabis Regulators Pass New Rules; Aiming to Issue Licenses by Year’s End

October 15, 2023 ·

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) on Thursday passed new rules to reset the license application process for the third time, WIAT reports. Under the new rules, the agency will reconsider the applications they already have, and the scores will remain, but the applicants will now have the opportunity to make a public presentation to the commission about why they should receive a license.   The new rules come amidst lawsuits related to the state’s licensing process so far: one alleging the AMCC failed to follow the… Read more.

Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission Issues Administrative Stay on Licensing Process

September 2, 2023 · Ganjapreneur

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) on Thursday issued an administrative stay on its licensing process, AL.com reports. The stay comes after the commission has twice failed to issue licenses, first after “potential inconsistencies” in scoring data and again after a judge granted a temporary restraining order finding the agency had violated the state’s open meetings law.   The AMCC is named in two lawsuits related to the licensing process: one over the open meetings law violation claims, and another over its plan to void and reissue the permits. On… Read more.

Alabama Cannabis Regulators Plan to ‘Start Back at Square One’ in Licensing Process

August 31, 2023 · Ganjapreneur

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) intends to “start back at square one” in the medical cannabis licensing process, the agency told a judge on Monday, according to the Alabama Political Reporter. The comments came during a hearing in court where the agency was defending a lawsuit claiming it had violated the state’s Open Meetings Act.   During the hearing, the AMCC and plaintiffs in the case agreed to extend a temporary restraining order prohibiting the commission from moving forward with its licensure process… Read more.

Verano CEO Pens Open Letter to Alabama Governor Over License Reversal

August 28, 2023 · Green Market Report

George Archos, CEO of Verano Holdings Corp. (OTC: VRNOF) penned a letter to Alabama Governor Kay Ivey expressing the company’s commitment to the state and raising concerns over the recent scrapping of its cannabis business license. The Chicago-based multistate operator had its hopes up in June when it was awarded a medical cannabis license in Alabama based on its application score. It immediately pledged a $40 million investment into the state. But to the firm’s chagrin, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) later decided to void… Read more.

Alabama’s Plan to Void and Reissue Medical Cannabis Licenses Attracts Another Lawsuit

August 24, 2023 · Ganjapreneur

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) is set to, again, void and revoke the licenses it awarded two weeks ago with plans to re-award them during the same meeting without going into an executive session, according to a court filing outlined by the Alabama Political Reporter. The use of the executive session in awarding the previous round of licenses is the subject of a lawsuit brought by several cannabis companies.   The AMCC on Monday was also hit with a lawsuit by Verano Holdings which claims that… Read more.

Alabama Awards New Medical Cannabis Licenses

August 12, 2023 · Ganjapreneur

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMMC) on Thursday voided all previously awarded licenses and awarded new ones, WPMI reports. The commission also outlined the errors in the scoring and evaluation of first round licensees which led to the awarding of new permits.  The AMMC awarded five integrated facility licenses, seven cultivator licenses, four processor licenses, four dispensary licenses, and five secure transporter licenses.   Applicants who were awarded a license now have 14 days to submit the appropriate license fee and any applicant who has been… Read more.

Top Alabama Medical Marijuana Regulator Resigns Amid Lawsuits And Licensing Controversy

August 3, 2023 · marijuanamoment.net

Dr. Steven Stokes, the chair of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC), resigned from the commission Thursday morning. Stokes, an oncologist who had served as chair since 2021, said in an interview Thursday afternoon that he resigned to prevent the commission and the medical cannabis approval process from being tied up in a lawsuit alleging that his appointment to the commission violated state law. “If I did not step aside, then that process would probably be stopped until my issue was… Read more.

Alabama Medical Cannabis Firm Accuses Regulators of Erasing Meeting Records in Violation of Open Meetings Law

July 28, 2023 · Ganjapreneur

A medical cannabis business applicant is accusing the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) of improperly erasing recordings of its meetings, AL.com reports. The company says the recordings could include information relevant to its lawsuit against the agency.  The lawsuit by Alabama Always LLC and six other firms comes as the state paused all proceedings related to the issuance of medical cannabis licenses in the state after the agency’s “discovery of potential inconsistencies in the tabulation of scoring data.” The administrative hold was announced just days after the… Read more.

Week in Review: Rhode Island Expunges 23,000 Cannabis Possession Records

June 18, 2023 · Cannabis Now

In this week’s cannabis news round-up, Rhode Island expunges more than 23,000 cannabis possession records; House lawmakers introduce a bill to promote cannabis research; and Alabama awards the state’s first medical cannabis licenses. Rhode Island Expunges More Than 23,000 Cannabis Possession Records The Rhode Island judiciary system has successfully expunged more than 23,000 records related to cannabis possession, marking the completion of the initial phase of cannabis relief mandated by the state’s legalization law and a Supreme Court executive order. In a… Read more.

Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission awards business licenses to 21 companies

June 13, 2023 · WBRC

On Monday, June 12, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) announced the first round of businesses getting medical marijuana licenses. In total, 90 different companies applied for a license. Of those, 21 were granted licenses. Some applied to be growers, while others applied to be processors or store fronts. The AMCC voted to award medical cannabis business licenses to the following applicants: Integrated Facility License Flowerwood Medical Cannabis, LLC Southeast Cannabis Company, LLC Sustainable Alabama, LLC TheraTrue Alabama, LLC Verano Alabama, LLC… Read more.

Alabama Medical Marijuana Licenses Start Going out Monday

June 10, 2023 · Green Market Report

Commission expects more lawsuits to be filed after the initial round. Alabama authorities are poised to begin doling out medical marijuana business permits as soon as Monday. Although it’s uncertain just how many licenses the state’s Medical Cannabis Commission will award next week, commissioners could deliver the state limit in one fell swoop, which, according to the Alabama Daily News, includes: 12 cultivation permits Four processor permits Four dispensary licenses Five permits for vertically integrated companies There’s also an unspecified number of… Read more.

Alabama Dispensaries Could Be Open For Business By 2024, Regulators Say

April 21, 2023 · Green Market Report

No raw plant materials or products for smoking or eating will be allowed. Alabama is set to launch its medical marijuana industry later this year, with up to 17 companies expected to receive licenses to grow and process cannabis for patients in the state. According to Alabama Media Group, the state’s Medical Cannabis Commission said it plans to issue licenses to companies to grow plants in enclosed facilities with 24/7 video monitoring and high security. It is anticipated that it… Read more.

Detroit Dispensary As Cannabis Casino, Delaware Legalization, Florida’s Hemp Issues And More

April 16, 2023 · Benzinga

Florida House Committee OKs Hemp Product Restriction Bill Following the approval of a bill related to regulating for hemp-derived products, entrepreneurs are concerned that the bill could put them out of business. The proposed bill, HB 1475, sponsored by Republican Will Robinson Jr. of Manatee County, aims to limit the amount of THC in retail hemp products. This move is in response to the growing popularity of Delta-8, a legal product that has led to proposed hemp regulations in over 20 states in the past two years.… Read more.

90 Alabama applicants advance to medical marijuana license review

April 15, 2023 · MJ Biz Daily

Alabama regulators greenlit 90 medical marijuana businesses to advance to the review and scoring process for MMJ licenses. According to Birmingham-based TV station WBMA, the approvals included: 38 integrated facilities. 18 dispensaries. 12 cultivators 11 processors Nine delivery providers. Two testing labs. The 90 applicants advanced by the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission will be vying for up to 12 cultivator licenses, four processor permits, four dispensary licenses, five integrated-facility permits and an unspecified number of delivery and testing laboratory licenses. Licenses are expected to… Read more.

I’ve been taking psychedelic mushrooms with my mom for 14 years. It’s brought us closer together.

March 10, 2023 · Yahoo!News

My first experience with psychedelics was with my mom when I was 22. We decided to grow our own when we couldn't find mushrooms in Alabama. After 14 years, we still take mushrooms together, and it has brought our family closer together. At 22 years old, I had my first psychedelic experience. My self-appointed trip guide gave me a half-eighth of psilocybin mushrooms. I figured the few dry stems and one button-sized cap weren't enough to do anything. But I trusted my… Read more.