Rome wasn’t built in a day. Patience is a virtue. Pick your cliché to describe the glacial, but perceptible pace of the evolution of Alabama’s alcohol rules. There were a number of changes to alcohol laws in the most recent...more
Last Thursday was License Award Day 2.0 for the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Nineteen of the applicants awarded licenses in June, before the process was halted due...more
8/15/2023
/ Alabama ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government
In a court hearing yesterday in the Montgomery County Circuit Court, it appeared that the staff of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission was prepared to move forward announcing licensees at its meeting on Thursday and that...more
8/8/2023
/ Alabama ,
Cannabis Products ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Failure to Comply ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Mootness ,
Open Meetings Act ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rules of Professional Conduct ,
State and Local Government ,
State Constitutions
In a shocking development only four days after announcing its intent to issue 21 licenses to cultivators, processors, dispensaries, secured transporters, laboratory testing facilities, and integrated facilities, the Alabama...more
6/19/2023
/ Alabama ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Stays
Yesterday was a day years in the making for would-be medical cannabis operators in Alabama, as the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) announced its intent to issue 21 licenses to cultivators, processors, dispensaries,...more
6/13/2023
/ Alabama ,
Business Licenses ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government
Social equity is an important part of any forward-thinking cannabis regime. Some states do it better than others, and not all social equity policies are equal – but any state wishing to move forward with a robust program that...more
Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” is an anthem to love and growing old. Among its many great lines is “wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.” Can you tell I recently turned 40?
But I write today not about what I...more
1/19/2023
/ Alabama ,
Applications ,
Banks ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Deadlines ,
Insurance Industry ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Real Estate Market ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government
Like many sports fans, we’re suckers for next-season predictions immediately following the prior season (even when Notre Dame is inexplicably ranked in the Top 10). At the time of this writing, applications have just been...more
A year ago we wrote about Alabama’s then-new alcohol laws, which allowed (1) ABC Board-licensed businesses in the state to deliver wine, beer, and spirits to customers’ homes and (2) wineries anywhere in the country to ship...more
Applications for the Alabama medical cannabis licenses were issued on October 24 and are due December 30. We are at DEFCON 2. Many of my phone calls each day involve screaming (rarely by me)....more
I’ll never forget when the Alabama Legislature and governor approved a medical cannabis regime. We wrote about it with great fervor at the time. In some ways, it feels like yesterday. In others, a lifetime ago. As has been...more
The changes in the cannabis industry in Southeastern United States represent some of the most surprising and remarkable changes in the history of the industry...
Originally published by Bloomberg Law....more
9/15/2022
/ Alabama ,
Arkansas ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Florida ,
Georgia ,
Louisiana ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
North Carolina ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Tennessee
Last week, following a six-week notice and comment period, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission voted to approve the previously released proposed rules. This is an important step in keeping the program on the timetable set...more
It’s been said that Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour. In an important step for the establishment of a viable medical cannabis program in Alabama, last week the Alabama Department of...more
Ever since the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission released its proposed rules governing the cultivation, processing, testing, transporting, and dispensing of medical cannabis there have been questions, comments, and concerns...more
Only three months – 90(ish) days – until the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission is scheduled to begin accepting applications for licenses. It was a year ago when this all started. And like raising children, the days pass...more
6/1/2022
/ Agribusiness ,
Alabama ,
Applications ,
Cannabis Products ,
Legalization ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
State and Local Government
Medical cannabis is on the way in Alabama. What does that mean for Alabama banks? The implications of this development are enormous for the financial services industry in Alabama, as each institution will soon have to...more
3/8/2022
/ Alabama ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Banking Sector ,
Cannabis Products ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinCEN ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Risk Factors ,
Risk Management ,
SAFE Act ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
Merle Haggard famously sang “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink.” For decades, Alabama’s dated alcohol rules made that easier said than done in the Yellowhammer State, as alcohol delivery was prohibited and wine shipments...more
In the months immediately following passage of Alabama’s new medical cannabis law, there was a flurry of activity throughout the state to engage attorneys, lobbyists, and perceived influencers to help dozens of well-heeled...more
Alabama became the 36th state to allow cannabis for medical use when Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law the Darren Wesley ‘Ato’ Hall Compassion Act on May 17, 2021. The act establishes a process through which applicants will...more
8/27/2021
/ Alabama ,
Cannabis Products ,
Legalization ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Transport Rule
Alabama became the 36th state to allow cannabis for medical use when Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law the Darren Wesley ‘Ato’ Hall Compassion Act on May 17, 2021. The act establishes a process through which applicants will...more
8/27/2021
/ Alabama ,
Cannabis Act ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Governor Ivey ,
Laboratory Developed Tests ,
Licenses ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
State and Local Government
Alabama became the 36th state to allow cannabis for medical use when Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law the Darren Wesley ‘Ato’ Hall Compassion Act on May 17, 2021. The act establishes a process through which applicants will...more
7/29/2021
/ Agribusiness ,
Alabama ,
Applicants ,
Applications ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Governor Ivey ,
Licenses ,
Licensing Rules ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Required Documentation ,
State and Local Government
Alabama became the 36th state to allow cannabis for medical use when Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law the Darren Wesley ‘Ato’ Hall Compassion Act on May 17, 2021. The Act establishes a process through which applicants will...more
We wrote yesterday that the Alabama House of Representatives voted 68-34 in favor of the medical cannabis bill. Late last night, the Senate concurred with the House’s version of the bill. The bill now moves out of the...more
In February a bill to legalize, regulate, and tax non-smokable medicinal cannabis passed through the Alabama Senate on a 21-10 vote. Progress on the bill slowed after moving to the House. The medical cannabis bill passed both...more