Another cannabis company is seeking to join a lawsuit against the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC).
Attorneys for Specialty Medical Products of Alabama (SMPA) filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit in Montgomery County Circuit Court between two cannabis companies, Alabama Always and Hornet Medicinal, against AMCC.
The commission gave out 21 business licenses in June. SMPA, Alabama Always and Hornet Medicinal weren't among the 21 companies to receive licenses.
Shortly after the licenses were announced, the commission put a stay on proceedings due to discoveries by commission staff of "potential inconsistencies in the tabulation of scoring data." The commission also suspended the issuance of previously awarded licenses.
The commission is currently undergoing an independent review of all scoring data. A Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge also issued a stay on the AMCC's licensing proceedings last month.
An AMCC news release in June announcing the license recipients stated the University of South Alabama was engaged by AMCC to coordinate the application review process and recruit evaluators to assess the scored exhibit items for all 90 applicants.
During this pause in proceedings, the commission will seek an independent review of all scoring data.
"The Commission will work expeditiously to investigate and identify inconsistencies in the score data," AMCC director John McMillan said in June. "Out of an abundance of caution, we are suspending all current procedural timelines until those matters are resolved."
SMPA is an applicant for an integrated facility license to grow, process, extract/finish and sell medical cannabis products.
"SMPA's application is unique in one critically important way – the SMPA team, led by long-time Alabama residents, Mike Dowe and Ray French, has, through its sister company, Oscity Labs, successfully organized, built, and currently operates both a 250-acre farm and a 100,000 square foot processing/extraction/finished products facility producing products of the same kind and quality as will be required of AMCC licensees," Frank Wilson, SMPA's attorney wrote in a filing on July 4th. "The SMPA team has in place a seed-to-sale system approved and governed by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and its products has been GMP certified. The facility includes a state-of-the-art security system including facial recognition cameras and sign in requirements to travel from one room to the next. The facility also includes clean rooms for the production of current products and a new clean room dedicated to produce products pursuant to an AMMC license."
SMPA is asking the court for a declaration that a pre-licensure site visit is a mandatory requirement and must be conducted before applications are considered.
"The Commission hired a group of anonymous graders under the direction of the University of South Alabama to grade the application it received. The resulting scores are inconsistent with the statute, regulations, application guide and do not accurately reflect the qualifications of certain applicants including SMPA," Wilson said in a court filing.
The annual license fees range from $30,000 to $50,000, depending on the type.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
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