John Schroyer
Following several lawsuits and a mediation agreement, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission on Friday made its third attempt to select business permit winners.
The AMCC is slated to pick winners for cultivator, processor, dispensary, testing lab and secure transport licenses Friday afternoon, but the most coveted permits – the integrated facility licenses, which allow for vertical integration – won’t be selected until Dec. 12.
During the meeting, the commission awarded licenses to:
- Seven cultivators
- Four processors
- Four dispensaries
- Four secure transporters
- One testing lab
Only one application for testing lab was considered and approved during the meeting, which led to a call for further discussion at a later date on how to prevent a bottleneck from lack of access.
The commission first named 21 license winners in June, but then redid the process in August after it found internal inconsistencies with the process. That led to some of the original winners losing permits, including multistate operator Verano Holdings.
Verano was one of 25 companies that filed lawsuits against the AMCC over the initial two licensing rounds, and though the MSO ultimately lost in court, the AMCC underwent mediation with several of the plaintiffs, and the new third attempt is the outcome, AL.com reported.
The AMCC has more than 90 company applications and scores to weigh. Permit winners named on Friday will be invoiced by the commission for their license fees, which they must pay by Dec. 15.
Applicants denied permits on Friday also have until Dec. 15 to submit a request for an investigative hearing related to the denial.
