Interactive map: A look at the locations, diversity of medical marijuana businesses given grants in Alabama

YOU CAN FIND THAT RIGHT NOW ON THE WVTM 13 APP. ALL RIGHT. SO WE’RE AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE MEDICAL CANNABIS INDUSTRY RIGHT HERE, HERE IN OUR STATE. AND ANOTHER SETBACK LAST WEEK WHEN A JUDGE ISSUED A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER, PAUSING THE WHOLE PROCESS. YES, THIS ORDER ISSUED AFTER NUMEROUS COMPANIES DENIED LICENSES, FILED LAWSUITS CLAIMING THE ALABAMA MEDICAL CANNABIS COMMISSION ISN’T AWARDING THE POTENTIALLY LUCRATIVE LICENSES FAIRLY. WVTM13’S LISA CRANE HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THIS PROCESS CLOSELY. SHE’S JOINING US LIVE TONIGHT IN BIRMINGHAM. LISA, THE COMMISSION GETTING MANY COMPLAINTS. YEAH, ALABAMA LAWMAKERS DECIDED EARLY ON IN THIS PROCESS THAT A FOURTH OF ALL LICENSES ISSUED WOULD BE TO MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES. NOW, THE LATEST APPLICANTS APPROVED FOR LICENSES BY THE ALABAMA MEDICAL CANNABIS COMMISSION MEET THAT CRITERIA, BUT NOT IN EVERY CATEGORY. AND THAT HAS ONE GROUP CRYING FOUL. ANTOINE MORDECAI IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL GROUP MINORITIES FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA. HE REPRESENTS ALABAMA. HE’S ALSO A HEMP FARMER WHO HAD HOPED TO RECEIVE A LICENSE TO GROW MEDICAL CANNABIS. BUT HE DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT. HE SAYS IT’S IMPORTANT MINORITIES ARE REPRESENTED IN THIS NEW INDUSTRY. THE COMMISSION APPROVED 24 LICENSES RECENTLY AND ACCORDING TO MORDECAI, EIGHT ARE MINORITY OWNED. BUT HE’S CONCERNED THAT ONLY ONE OF THE SEVEN CULTIVATOR LICENSES ISSUED WENT TO A MINORITY OWNED COMPANY. NO SENSE OF A SORE LOSER, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ACTUALLY WANT A LICENSE, THAT HAVE GOOD INTEREST FOR ALABAMIANS AND MOST LIKELY GETTING QUALITY PRODUCTS TO THE PATIENTS. SO WHATEVER TERMS AND ROOT THAT I HAVE TO TAKE TO BE TO GET AWARDED A LICENSE, I WILL TAKE THAT ROUTE. HOWEVER, I DON’T WANT TO PROLONG THE PROCESS TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THE MEDICINE FROM THE THE NECESSARY NEEDED PATIENTS. BUT LAWSUITS COULD POTENTIALLY SLOW DOWN THE PROCESS. THE GOAL WAS TO HAVE MEDICAL CANNABIS AVAILABLE TO PATIENTS WHO NEEDED IT BY THE FIRST OF THE YEAR. NOT SURE IF THAT DATE IS STILL FEASIBLE WITH THESE LAWSUITS AND THAT TEMPORARY RESTRAINI