GOP Bill On Alabama Cannabis Regulator’s Duties Heads To Senate As Licensing Saga Continues

A measure under which Alabama’s cannabis regulator would be given more rights to regulate medical marijuana got the green light from House members on Tuesday.

The House bill, HB390 from Danny Crawford (R) was approved in a 95-4 vote in and is now heading to the Senate for a committee vote.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission is “responsible for the regulation, licensure, and enforcement of all aspects of the processing and dispensing of medical cannabis, while the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries shares responsibility with the commission for the regulation and enforcement of the cultivation of cannabis to be used for medical cannabis products,” the bill stipulates.

With the bill, Crawford seeks to clarify confusion related to the AMCC working with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) on awarding distribution licenses, reported CBS 42.

See also: Third Time Was Not The Charm: Alabama Judge Blocks Medical Marijuana Permits

“Enforcement and some of the roles that [ADAI] had. There was some confusion as to does the commission have this or does the commissioner have that?” Rep. Crawford said.

Even though medical marijuana was legalized in 2021 in Alabama with AMCC awarding a limited number of licenses, the market rollout was stalled due to the multiple lawsuits by unsuccessful applicants. State Senator Larry Stutts (R) called the state’s medical marijuana industry “corrupt or incompetent” in February.

To address the stalling issue, state Senator Tim Melson (R) recently introduced a new medical marijuana bill to help resolve the ongoing license issuance problem.

SB306 would require the Alabama Securities Commission (ASC) to set up a five-member review panel to determine if those who have applied for integrated licenses before the initial deadline in Dec. 2022, meet “basic eligibility requirements for licensure.”

Now read: Alabama MMJ Commission Faces Legal Storm, New York Postpones Resolution On Retail Licenses And Home Growing and More Updates