Alabama panel approves companies to grow, distribute medical marijuana

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission has awarded new licenses to grow, process and sell medical marijuana after discovering problems with the initial selection process.

Commissioners voided their original selections made in June after discovering what they described as human errors in the scoring of applications. On Thursday, the commission selected 24 companies to receive licenses, many of which were among the original winners.

Alabama lawmakers in 2021 ended years of resistance and approved the creation of a program to allow marijuana to be used for certain medical conditions. However, it is not available yet to patients because the state has to develop rules and award grower and distributor licenses.

“Since the Commission’s inception, we have worked to develop a fair, honest, and equitable process to select licensees,” Commission Chairman Rex Vaughn said in a statement. “It is regrettable that the tabulation errors occurred, however we have acknowledged the miscalculations and have taken the necessary steps to ensure that the data provided to the commission was accurate.”

The winning companies will have 14 days to submit their license fees. Applicants who did not win a license will have 14 days to request an investigation.

Thursday’s action could renew the legal fight over who gets a piece of the medical marijuana business in the state. A company had sued the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission this summer, alleging problems in the initial selection process.