Alabama’s medical cannabis market is expected to launch next spring, roughly two years after Gov. Kay Ivey signed it into law in May 2021.
The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) met June 9 to discuss plans to develop regulations for the program, according to an AL.com report.
The commission heard presentations Thursday from officials who oversee the medical cannabis programs in Ohio and Louisiana, the news outlet reported.
AMCC members will now submit proposed rules to the Legislative Services Agency for publication on June 21, kicking off a 35-day public comment period on June 30, according to AL.com.
The 14-member commission will hold a public hearing on the rules July 14, and those looking to speak at the hearing must sign up on the AMCC’s website starting June 30, the news outlet reported.
The commission will meet again Aug. 11 to adopt the rules, which may be amended based on public comment, according to AL.com. The final rules will then be published Aug. 31.
Businesses seeking cultivation, processing, transportation, testing and retail licenses will be able to request applications starting Sept. 1, Will Webster, an attorney for the AMCC, told AL.com.
Companies can then formally apply for licenses 45 days later, when the rules for the medical cannabis program take effect, according to the news outlet.
The AMCC will ultimately license up to 12 cultivators, four processors, four dispensaries (which can operate a maximum of three storefronts in separate counties) and five vertically integrated businesses that can cultivate, process, transport and sell medical cannabis at up to five dispensary locations, AL.com reported.
The commission is also responsible for issuing additional licenses for transporters and testing labs, which will test medical cannabis products for potency and content, according to AL.com.
Alabama’s medical cannabis law allows patients with one of more than a dozen qualifying medical conditions to obtain a recommendation from a qualified doctor to access cannabis in the form of tablets, capsules, tinctures, gelatinous cubes, gels, oils, creams, patches, suppositories, nebulizers, liquids or oils that can be used in an inhaler, the news outlet reported. The state prohibits flower, edibles and smoking, however.