Over the past nearly two years, I have been talking to friends, clients, and basically anyone at parties about the slow progress (if I might be permitted to use that word in this context) of the Alabama medical cannabis...more
The Alabama medical cannabis program has been FUBAR for a while now, but there was at least some good news for two applicants last week....more
A recent lawsuit in Alabama, challenging the award of medical cannabis licenses by regulators, underscores the potential pitfalls in licensing regimes where applicants are selected based on specific enumerated factors. Below,...more
During a hearing today on SB276, a proposal released only yesterday that would fundamentally change the landscape of Alabama’s nascent medical cannabis program, would have probably been less one-sided if the proposal called...more
Well, it’s here. Late yesterday afternoon Sens. Tim Melson and David Sessions introduced the long-awaited “legislative fix” to help get Alabama’s long-stalled Alabama medical cannabis licensing program off the ground. The...more
Hold the phones, Alabama medical cannabis integrated applicants (and probably dispensary licensees). Last night the Montgomery County Circuit Court issued three orders that will at least temporarily pause the issuance of the...more
Yesterday the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission(AMCC) awarded the five coveted licenses in the Integrated Facility category. The five licenses were awarded to: 1. Trulieve AL 2. Sustainable Alabama 3. Wagon Trail...more
I feel like Bill Murray’s character in Groundhog Day. I keep writing the same blog post in some way heralding the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission’s awarding of licenses to would-be operators. Well, on Friday it happened...more
In the coming, frenzied 90 days, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission likely will save or ruin the future of medical cannabis in Alabama... Last Thursday, the AMCC voted to adopt an emergency rule that, by its terms,...more
Maybe it was inevitable. Anyone who has seen another state award competitive licenses for a limited number of cannabis operators knew well that Alabama’s process would result in litigation. That was not an indictment of...more
I have literally (yes, literally) lost track of the number of times that the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission or a court has ordered a halt to the AMCC’s efforts to issue licenses to medical cannabis operators. If you...more
There is a scene in the fantastic film Wayne’s World (cult classic or blockbuster, I don’t know; I just write blogs about cannabis) where Wayne and Garth are playing street hockey and whenever a car drives down the street...more
Last Thursday was License Award Day 2.0 for the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Nineteen of the applicants awarded licenses in June, before the process was halted due...more
In a court hearing yesterday in the Montgomery County Circuit Court, it appeared that the staff of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission was prepared to move forward announcing licensees at its meeting on Thursday and that...more
In a shocking development only four days after announcing its intent to issue 21 licenses to cultivators, processors, dispensaries, secured transporters, laboratory testing facilities, and integrated facilities, the Alabama...more
Yesterday was a day years in the making for would-be medical cannabis operators in Alabama, as the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) announced its intent to issue 21 licenses to cultivators, processors, dispensaries,...more
Social equity is an important part of any forward-thinking cannabis regime. Some states do it better than others, and not all social equity policies are equal – but any state wishing to move forward with a robust program that...more
Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” is an anthem to love and growing old. Among its many great lines is “wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.” Can you tell I recently turned 40? But I write today not about what I...more
Like many sports fans, we’re suckers for next-season predictions immediately following the prior season (even when Notre Dame is inexplicably ranked in the Top 10). At the time of this writing, applications have just been...more
In late October, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) sent comprehensive License Application Forms to more than six hundred medical marijuana industry hopefuls throughout the state. The deadline to apply for one of...more
Applications for the Alabama medical cannabis licenses were issued on October 24 and are due December 30. We are at DEFCON 2. Many of my phone calls each day involve screaming (rarely by me)....more
I’ll never forget when the Alabama Legislature and governor approved a medical cannabis regime. We wrote about it with great fervor at the time. In some ways, it feels like yesterday. In others, a lifetime ago. As has been...more
The changes in the cannabis industry in Southeastern United States represent some of the most surprising and remarkable changes in the history of the industry... Originally published by Bloomberg Law....more
Last week, following a six-week notice and comment period, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission voted to approve the previously released proposed rules. This is an important step in keeping the program on the timetable set...more
September 1 will see the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (“AMCC”) begin accepting requests for applications pursuant to the “Darren Wesley ‘Ato’ Hall Compassion Act,” or the “Alabama Compassion Act” (hereinafter referred...more