An Alabama lawmaker introduced legislation that would strip some medical marijuana licensing authority from a state commission and transfer it to a private consultant. The move follows years of delays and legal challenges that have prevented patients from accessing cannabis products.
State Sen. Tim Melson, a Republican out of Florence who co-sponsored the original 2021 medical marijuana law, filed Senate Bill 72 this week to address what he describes as a frustrating deadlock in implementing the program.
“It’s just taking too long,” Melson told Alabama Daily News regarding the awarding of integrated facility licenses needed to give patients access to medical marijuana products. “You had one job, you haven’t been able to perform it, so let’s just go ahead and find somebody who can.”
The bill would require the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission to hire a “nationally recognized entity with expertise in financial auditing and managerial consulting” with offices in at least 15 states by October, according to draft legislation. The consultant would then be tasked with awarding licenses from the original pool of applicants who submitted paperwork by Dec. 31, 2022.
The proposal would also expand the number of integrated facility licenses from five to seven, citing population growth since the 2021 law was enacted. Those licenses permit both cultivation and the sale of medical marijuana products.
Industry sources expressed skepticism about portions of the bill, particularly provisions that would make Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission license denials “final and conclusive” and expedite appeals directly to the state Supreme Court, according to WBRC-TV. Multiple companies connected to the state’s cannabis industry also raised concerns about keeping the same individuals involved in overseeing the licensing process, the station reported.
John McMillan, director of the cannabis commission, said officials are reviewing the bill but indicated early support for measures that could break the current impasse.
“The commission is focused on getting licenses out, getting this program up and going and getting patients medication,” McMillan told Alabama Daily News. “There’s only two ways to do that right now, the courts or the Legislature, the way I see it.”
The licensing process, which began with applications in late 2022, has been mired in scoring inconsistencies, transparency concerns and litigation that continues to delay implementation. Previous attempts to restart the program, including legislation Melson filed last spring, failed to advance beyond committee.
While commission member Sam Blakemore recently suggested ongoing litigation could be resolved “in a matter of weeks,” Melson’s bill highlights growing legislative impatience with delays that have left qualifying patients without legal access to medical marijuana for more than two years after initial legalization.
The legislation would apply retroactively to multiple pending lawsuits in Montgomery Circuit Court, where a retired judge is currently mediating claims from license applicants who allege flaws and illegalities in the commission’s review process.
[[{“value”:”The state’s launch of its medical marijuana industry has been mired in challenges for more than two years.
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