City of Gadsden speaks about medical cannabis license halt

GADSDEN, Ala. (WBRC) - The future of medical cannabis in Alabama has come to a halt after the state’s medical cannabis commission voted to stay all proceedings.

It comes just days after 21 licenses were awarded to various businesses across the state, including some in Etowah County.

The news came just one day after the city of Gadsden sent a press release about Flowerwood Medical Cannabis Group and Statewide Property Holdings being awarded licenses.

The AMCC now says it has found “potential inconsistences” in how all 21 businesses were selected, meaning those licenses will not be issued on July 10 as originally planned.

When the stay is lifted, the commission could reconsider the awarding of licenses.

One city official says it’s understandable why the process is being re-evaluated.

“The expectation for a new industry like this where there’s limited entry points, limited licenses available per the state law, and many more applicants than there are licenses that will be allowed, and there’s such high stakes, there’s a lot of investors involved, there’s a lot of companies and business entities organizing to bring this new healthcare market to the state,” says Brett Johnson, the Chief of Staff for the city of Gadsden’s mayor. “It’s natural if you look at other states that there’s some type of questioning of the process that goes on.”

In a statement, the AMCC says it will investigate and identify inconsistencies it found in the score data.

Right now, it’s not clear what inconsistencies were found and there is not a timeline for how long this stay will be in place.

Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Copyright 2023 WBRC. All rights reserved.