June 2024 Group Watch: Alabama’s First Medical Cannabis Crop Nearing Harvest
The CEO of Native Black Cultivation, a medical cannabis cultivation license holder, said he is nearing harvest, marking the state’s first medical cannabis harvest. He says would like to get the product into the market, but he doesn’t think that will happen unless a restraining order on dispensaries is lifted. Medical cannabis suppliers have yet to sell products three years after the Alabama Legislature approved the medical cannabis program in 2021. The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) began accepting applications in late 2022. The AMCC initially issued licenses in June but voided them due to scoring inconsistencies, later rescinding awards again in August amid a lawsuit over Open Meetings Act violations. The AMCC issued new licensing rules in December, but litigation halted the licensing process again in January for dispensaries and integrated facilities. Cultivators are preparing to harvest their first crops, and they are faced with uncertainty about when that product can be sold to patients. Processor, secure transporter, and state testing lab licenses have been issued, and those licensees are working towards commencing their operations.
