Chair of Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission resigns

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) -The embattled chairman of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, Dr. Steve Stokes, has resigned. His resignation comes just over a week after a Montgomery attorney asked a judge to issue a writ of quo warranto, removing him from that position.

Plaintiff Kimberly Holcomb, through her attorneys, claims the state law that set up the AMCC prohibits “any public official” from being a Commission member, and says Stokes’ role as a member of the University of South Alabama Board of Trustees and his recent re-appointment to a seat on that board violates that part of the medical cannabis law.

Dr. Stokes told WBRC last Friday he would not resign, rejecting claims of a conflict of interest and saying he had been vetted for the chairmanship before his nomination.

The AMCC is embroiled in multiple lawsuits over the process the Commission used to issue the first-of-their-kind licenses for medical cannabis in June. Licenses that were paused then rescinded within days after the AMCC admitted it had found “tabulation errors” in the scoring system used to grade applicants for the limited number of medical cannabis licenses.

Stokes has also faced criticism from some applicants for what they call a conflict of interest when the commission voted to hire the University of South Alabama (USA) to score the applications, though Stokes has denied any conflict of interest and pointed out he recused himself from the vote to hire USA.

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The Medical Cannabis Commission is scheduled to next meet on August 10, where the Commission and its Executive Director John McMillan have said they hoped to be able to reveal the results of a re-scoring of the license applications by accounting firm KPMG, and issue new licenses.

Dr. Steven H. Stokes released a statement to WBRC regarding his resignation from the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission.

“It is with great disappointment that I tender my resignation from the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. I feel that it is in the best interest of the citizens of Alabama, some of whom desperately need access to cannabis to treat their medical conditions, for me to step down.
It is my sincere hope that by taking this action, I can remove a distraction that is holding back progress to ensure that these products are reaching the individuals who have already been waiting far too long.
It has been a profound honor to work with the incredible members of the Commission, all of whom have dedicated countless hours over the last two years to develop the foundation of Alabama’s medical cannabis industry. It was a pleasure to serve on the Commission and I believe that the Commission has done, and will continue to do, valuable work for the citizens of this state.
While there are those driven by greed who hope to discredit and obstruct this program from moving forward, I know that my fellow members will endeavor to deliver medical cannabis products to the patients of Alabama who are suffering. I hope that my resignation will allow the Commission to move swiftly to award the licenses authorized in the Darren Wesley Hall Compassion Act, so that the patients in Alabama will have access to treatment that they desperately need. I feel confident in the future of this program, even at this most challenging time.
It has been an honor to serve as the inaugural Chairman of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. Steven H. Stokes, M.D.”

William Somerville, the attorney who filed this court challenge, also released a statement:

“We have always believed the medical cannabis license process should be open and transparent.
Unfortunately, that has not been the case and there have been apparent conflicts of interest and closed-door meetings shrouded in secrecy that have hampered this process from the very beginning.
We applaud Dr. Stokes for his decision to follow the clear law of the state of Alabama and step down as a member of the Commission.
We and other applicants, who followed the application process to the letter, just want the commission to do what is right – follow the law, adhere to the rules and regulations of the selection process and give each and every application a thorough and comprehensive review.
We are confident, as this process moves forward, that the commission will do the right thing for all applicants and follow the law as intended.”

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