In the midst of an ongoing legal dispute over the manner in which the state chose the winning companies, a court has temporarily barred Alabama from granting licenses to medicinal marijuana facilities.
Late on Wednesday, Montgomery Circuit Judge James Anderson granted a temporary restraining order to prevent the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission from granting licenses to “integrated” establishments that cultivate, transport, and market medical marijuana. The commission was going to award the highly sought-after licenses this month, but they will be put on hold while he considers a challenge to the selection procedure.
Businesses that did not get licenses have contested the commission’s selection procedure.
While acknowledging that there are legitimate worries about postponing the distribution of medical marijuana, Anderson argued that a halt to the issuance of licenses is appropriate.
The restraining order is the most recent move in a legal spat that has dogged Alabama’s medicinal marijuana initiative since its inception. Legislators in Alabama decided to legalize medical marijuana in the state in 2021. Officials from the Commission hope to release the products in 2024, following several setbacks.
The directive from Wednesday only has an impact on the licenses of establishments that carry out various tasks, from “seed to sale.” In anticipation of hearing a such case, the judge last week suspended dispensary licenses. Growers, processors, transportation businesses, and lab testing have all received permits from the commission.