Alabama Medical Marijuana Regulators Advance Testing Lab Application And Discuss Ongoing Litigation

The commission approved the application, which will be made available during a 30-day period for public comments.

By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) Thursday received a legal update and approved corrections to a state testing laboratory license application.

Mark Wilkerson, an attorney for the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, updated the commission on ongoing legal cases. Wilkerson said three Court of Civil Appeals decisions over the past two and a half months ordered temporary restraining orders to be dissolved, but one of the denied applicants filed a petition requesting the Alabama Supreme Court review a decision made by the Court of Civil Appeals.

“We don’t have a timetable for what the Supreme Court may do in regard to that petition. If the [Alabama] Supreme Court issues an order requiring participation and briefing, this agency will do that,” Wilkerson said during the meeting.

The AMCC on February 14 opened a one-month window for parties to request an application for state testing laboratory licenses. From the five applications the commission received, the AMCC received one that had to be amended before being accepted. Justin Aday, general counsel for the commission, said that once the application was resubmitted, the only outstanding item was a background check.

“They had not yet received that completed background check from the FBI. Two days later on May 7, we did receive that FBI background check,” Aday said.

The commission approved the application, which will be made available during a 30-day period for public comments. The commission will hear the applicant’s presentation in a June 12 meeting and make the final decision at a June 17 meeting.

Under Alabama’s medical cannabis law passed in 2021, physicians can recommend the use of cannabis for patients with qualifying health issues. These conditions include chronic pain, PTSD, epilepsy and cancer-related pain. The law allows cannabis to be dispensed in forms such as tablets, tinctures, patches, oils and gummies, though only peach flavored. The use of raw plant material is not allowed.

This story was first published by Alabama Reflector.

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Photo courtesy of National Institute of Standards and Technology.