Alabama Sees Few Medical Cannabis Applications As Deadline Looms

The deadline for business applications for Alabama’s medical cannabis program is on Friday, December 30, but officials say very few individuals have actually submitted an application, CBS 42 reports.

Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission Director John McMillan said that as of late last week, the agency had received just one application. The number has since increased but there were still fewer than 10 submitted applications as of Monday.

“Frankly, we feel like they’re coming in a little slow, but you never know. The requests came in a big bunch of them at the very end of the deadline, too, so I guess that’s just the way most of us function.” — McMillan, via CBS 42

Officials said they received 607 application requests for the state’s 25 total medical cannabis licenses, which will include:

• 12 licenses for medical cannabis cultivators
• 4 medical cannabis processor licenses
• 4 medical cannabis dispensary licenses
• 5 licenses for integrated medical cannabis facilities

Officials will take several months to deliberate after the deadline, with licenses expected to be formally issued starting June 12, the report said.

Alabama’s medical cannabis program was approved by lawmakers and signed into law in May. The program does not allow for the smoking or vaping of cannabis products but will let patients access “tablets, capsules, tinctures, or gel cubes for oral use; gels, oils or creams for topical use, or suppositories, transdermal patches, nebulizers, or liquids or oils for use in an inhaler.” The possession limit for patients will be limited to up to “70 daily dosages” of medical cannabis.

Meanwhile, an October poll found that a nearly 80% supermajority of Alabama voters supported the medical cannabis reforms.