Applicants call for more transparency amid pause in Alabama medical cannabis license rollout

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — It’s been about one week since the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission paused its license rollout over “potential inconsistencies” in scoring and applicants who were denied are still looking for answers.

Joey Robertson runs Wagon Trail Hemp Farms in Cullman County, where he’s processed hemp into CBD products since 2019. With his existing infrastructure, he was confident his company would receive an integrated facility license, but he was denied.

“It was shocking, honestly, to not find out that day that we had a license,” Robertson said.

Robertson said he doesn’t know why he was denied.

“No. No one knows at this point why they were accepted or denied,” he said.

Neither does Antoine Mordican, owner of Native Black Cultivation in Jefferson County since 2019.

“No, they just said, you’re denied and here goes your score,” Mordican said.

Mordican received his score and ranking among other cultivator applications, but was left with more questions than answers.

“Why I was denied, what was the reasoning, what were the grades — and it was extremely sketchy to me that no minority was issued a cultivation license, which in each sector, they’re supposed to give out 25% license to minority-owned and operated companies,” he said.

While applicants are trying to sort out what happened, so is the commission. In a statement last Friday, the AMCC will seek an independent review before moving forward.

Robertson said he’s glad to see the commission is taking a second look.

“Seeing that the AMCC cares enough to put on pause what is a monumental program in the state, giving patients access to a complete and total new medicine, it really means a lot to us,” he said.

Mordican said he’s happy to see the review but wants more transparency this time around.

“I know it’s a hard task they got. So whatever it is that they need to do to be able to make sure everything is fair, equitable, unbiased and make sure that everybody gets a fair chance at being issued a license,” he said.

When asked about the review and what was next, a spokesperson for the commission said it would be “premature” for them to comment at this time.