The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) adopted new application and licensing rules after months of legal disputes and amid stalled settlement negotiations over the commission’s evaluation process.
The rules adopted by the commission will allow the commission to keep the scores it gave to prior applications but give applicants the chance to outline deficiencies. Applicants will have the opportunity to present their proposals to the commission in a public meeting. “The proposed rule would permit an expeditious, yet transparent, process for all applicants to address the issues that have been raised in regard to their applications, including any suggested deficiencies in the scoring process, including the technical issues they may claim had prevented them from providing their full exhibits,” said AMCC attorney Mark Wilkerson during the meeting.
AMCC Chair Rex Vaughn said the presentation would affect the commission’s decisions on licenses. “There are questions that probably commission members have not yet had adequately answered, such as residency issues, ownership issues, those kinds of things that we’re not really clear on, so we’ll have the chance to address those,” Vaughn said. Alabama authorized a medical cannabis program in 2021, allowing medical cannabis to be used to treat about 15 diseases and chronic illnesses.
The AMCC awarded licenses to produce and distribute medical cannabis in June, but inconsistencies in the scoring of applications led to multiple lawsuits and a halt to the licensing process. Companies denied licenses have alleged that the commission was conducting much of its business behind closed doors, a violation of the Open Meetings Act.
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