During their meeting on June 12, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) reached a decision to grant the state’s inaugural set of medical cannabis business permits.
The announcement was made on Monday by the commission, stating its intent to bestow 21 licenses among various sectors including cultivation, processing, dispensing, transportation, lab testing, and integrated facilities.
The AMCC has disclosed the list of business entities set to receive licenses in the respective categories:
Integrated Facility License
- Flowerwood Medical Cannabis, LLC
- Southeast Cannabis Company, LLC
- Sustainable Alabama, LLC
- TheraTrue Alabama, LLC
- Verano Alabama, LLC
Cultivator License
- Blackberry Farms, LLC
- Gulf Shore Remedies, LLC
- Pure by Sirmon Farms, LLC
- Twisted Herb Cultivation, LLC
Processor License
- 1819 Labs, LLC
- Enchanted Green, LLC
- Jasper Development Group Inc.
- Organic Harvest Lab, LLC
Dispensary License
- CCS of Alabama, LLC
- RJK Holdings AL, LLC
- Statewide Property Holdings AL, LLC
- Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries, LLC
Secure Transport License
- Alabama Secure Transport, LLC
- International Communication, LLC
- Tyler Van Lines, LLC
State Testing Laboratory License
- Certus Laboratories
In a public address, George Archos, the founder and CEO of Verano expressed his enthusiasm over the company’s expanded operations to Alabama. The integrated facility license granted to Verano enables the company to establish a cultivation and processing facility in addition to five dispensaries within the state. Currently, Verano operates 14 cultivation and processing facilities and 129 dispensaries across 13 U.S. states.
John Tipton, Verano’s Southern Region President, highlighted the company’s anticipation to utilize their vast retail and cultivation expertise to serve Alabama patients with an array of high-quality products. He emphasized the company’s readiness to collaborate with the Medical Cannabis Commission, stakeholders, partners, and local communities in their expansion.
As per the medical cannabis legislation sanctioned by Gov. Kay Ivey in May 2021, the AMCC was authorized to award up to 12 cultivator licenses, four processor licenses, four dispensary licenses, five integrated facility licenses, and an unspecified number of transport and laboratory licenses.
AMCC Chairman Steven Stokes publicly acknowledged the abundance of highly competent applicants, expressing confidence in the selected licensees to aptly represent Alabama’s emerging medical cannabis industry.
The application window was closed on Dec. 30, 2022, and in April, the regulators chose to advance 90 applications for review. The University of South Alabama was commissioned by the AMCC to recruit evaluators to score the chosen applications.
John McMillan, AMCC Director, expressed his excitement about working with the selected applicants to meet the medical cannabis needs of Alabamians dealing with debilitating conditions.
The selected licensees have been given a 14-day window to submit their licensing fees to the commission, which will officially issue the licenses in each category at its meeting on July 10.
Once the business licenses have been issued, physicians can commence the process of certifying patients for the medical cannabis program.
The commission, as announced by AMCC Vice Chairman Rex Vaughn, intends to initiate a second licensing round for cultivators, transporters, and testing laboratories.
Vaughn voiced the commission’s eagerness to present more opportunities for participation in the industry. He added that these businesses will not only cater to Alabama’s patients but will also generate business and job opportunities for local communities.
