Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission Awards Three Dispensary Licenses

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission last week approved three new
medical cannabis dispensary licenses, the Alabama Reflector reports.

The licenses were awarded to the following companies, which are now
expected to pay the $40,000 licensing fee:

- GP6 Wellness
- RJK Holdings
- CCS of Alabama

Thursday’s license approvals set up the state’s medical cannabis program to
finally begin serving registered patients sometime next year, the report
said, five years after lawmakers passed the state’s Compassionate Use Act
in 2021. Officials have previously awarded medical cannabis cultivation and
processing licenses, making retailers effectively the last hurdle to
launching the industry.

Five vertically integrated licenses — licenses that allow businesses to
grow, process, and retail their own products — are also included under the
program, but the integrated licenses have sprouted numerous lawsuits over
the years.

Commission Chair Rex Vaughn noted that licensed cultivators have already
been harvesting products, which suggests the supply chain should be ready
by the time the dispensaries open their doors.

“We waited a long time to get to this point in time where we can make a
decision like this, and it is monumental. It’s a milestone meeting for us,
so I’m tickled we can get this far.” — Vaughn, via the Reflector

Alabama awarded its first medical cannabis licenses in 2023, but the
process was almost immediately halted by legal challenges contesting the
licensing process. Under state law, only non-smokable and non-vaporizable
forms of cannabis are allowed, such as tablets, capsules, gels, and
transdermal patches, among other options.