The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals last week voided four more temporary restraining orders pertaining to the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC), 1819 News reports. The order instructs Montgomery County Circuit Judge James Anderson to vacate the restraining orders against the agency related to three integrated facility license applicants and one dispensary applicant.
In a statement, AMCC Director John McMillan said officials “are pleased” that the court “has once again affirmed that investigative hearings and not lawsuits are the next right step in implementing Alabama’s medical cannabis program.”
“I appreciate the work of our legal team and trust that today’s decision will go a long way toward ending the premature litigation against the Commission.”— McMillan, in a statement, via 1819 News
The Court of Civil Appeals action follows a similar decision by the court about two weeks prior which found that since the AMCC’s administrative process is not final, the circuit court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction over the claims that led to the temporary restraining orders.
Both rulings are consistent with the AMCC’s position that its license award decisions are not final until the statutorily required investigative hearing process is completed.
Alabama lawmakers first approved the medical cannabis reforms in 2021; however, the process has been plagued by lawsuits since the first industry licenses were awarded in 2023.
In a statement, AMCC Chairman Rex Vaughn said the ruling gives the commission “hope for suffering patients in Alabama to finally realize the benefits of medical cannabis products.”
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