Under existing law, 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. This bill would provide that the regulation, licensure, and enforcement functions relating to the cultivation of cannabis are duties of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission and would require the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries to cooperate with the commission in carrying out these functions. Under existing law, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission may issue five integrated facility licenses, which allows for cultivation, processing, and dispensing of medical cannabis. This bill would specify a three-step process for the awarding of integrated facility licences. The first step would require a panel appointed by the Alabama Securities Commission to determine if license applicants meet certain basic eligibility requirements for licensure. The second step would require the review panel to determine the readiness of the cultivation and dispensing operations if a license was to be awarded. The third step would require the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission members to score the pool of remaining eligible applicants on a number of criteria to ultimately determine the awarding of the licenses. This bill would also provide greater specificity to the eligibility requirements for integrated license facility licensure. Under existing law, a medical cannabis license may be transferred in certain circumstances. This bill would prohibit the transfer of an integrated facility license.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 20-2A-67, 20-2A-3, 20-2A-50, 20-2A-51, 20-2A-52, 20-2A-53, 20-2A-57, 20-2A-58, 20-2A-59, 20-2A-62, 20-2A-63, 20-2A-67