Multiple cannabis companies are challenging license denials they received from the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) on December 1.
Friday was the deadline for companies in all categories besides integrated facilities that didn't receive licenses on December 1 to request an investigative hearing. It was also the deadline for all companies awarded licenses besides integrated facilities to pay their fees ranging from $30,000 to $40,000.
Brittany Peters, a spokeswoman for AMCC, said on Saturday that multiple companies denied licenses had requested investigative hearings but didn't say which companies were requesting the hearings.
"The AMCC has received requests for investigative hearings from cultivator, processor, dispensary and secure transport applicants. All December 1, 2023, awardees have paid their license fee," Peters said. We are planning to notify all applicants and publish the list on Monday. I will contact you just as soon as we get it posted to the AMCC website."
The law states, "After denial of a license, the commission, upon request, shall provide a public investigative hearing at which the applicant is given the opportunity to present testimony and evidence to establish its suitability for a license. Other testimony and evidence may be presented at the hearing, but the commission's decision must be based on the whole record before the commission and is not limited to testimony and evidence submitted at the public investigative hearing."
Fees required to request an investigative hearing were initially $30,000 to $50,000, depending on the category, but those fee requirements were waived when AMCC passed new rules and procedure changes in October.
The deadline for investigative hearing requests from denied integrated facility applicants isn't until December 26 since those awards didn't happen until December 12.
UPDATE: After publication on Monday morning, Peters sent the following list of companies who were requesting investigative hearings:
First Choice Farms, Hollywood
James Gang Dispensary, Atmore
Pure by Simon Farms, Daphne
Blackberry Farms, Dothan
Longleaf Extracts, Dothan
Enchanted Green, Dothan
Guaranteed Investments, Dothan
Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries, Birmingham
Alabama Sexual Medicine Specialists, Jasper
Guaranteed Dispensary AL, Dothan
LeBleu Fields, Montgomery
Statewide Property Holdings AL, Montgomery
Medshop Dispensary, Northport
Soraya Schultz, Birmingham
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
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