Melson does not believe that his medical cannabis bill will be passed this year

April 29, 2025 – MONTGOMERY, AL – Dozens of protestors were holding a rally in front of the Alabama Statehouse demanding that the state legalize marijuana and move forward with the stalled medical cannabis program.

The Alabama Senate appears unlikely to consider medical cannabis legislation this year. The Alabama Gazette spoke with Senator Tim Melson (R-Florence) about his legislation which would have increased the number of integrated licenses from five to ten.

The integrator license allow the holder to grow, process, transport, and dispense medical cannabis to Alabamians with a demonstrated medical need with a recommendation from a doctor.

The bill, Senate Bill 72, also orders a new round of license awards with the awards made by a consultant yet to be hired and stripping the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) of the authority to make those awards.

The controversial legislation has divided both legislators and medical cannabis advocates. It cleared the Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee weeks ago; but has yet to come to the floor of the Senate. ......and time is running out on the 2025 Alabama Regular Legislative Session.

"I don't think they will," Melson told the Alabama Gazette when asked if his fill was going to be on Tuesday's calendar. "The leadership doesn't want to take it up."

Melson had argued that the bill was needed to jump start the medical cannabis process that has been mired in litigation designed to keep the program stalled.

"The people who didn't get one (an integrator license) are going to keep it tied up in court," Melson predicted.

The AMCC issued five licenses in June 2023, redid the license awards in August 2023, vacated both of those license awards, and issued a third set of awards. 36 business entities applied for the licenses; but Melson 2021 legislation limited the AMCC to a maximum of five licenses.

Melson said that some of the applicants who have tied up the process in the courts, "Have deep pockets" and that the Commission is partially responsible for the problems.

"Nobody has confidence in the way that they did that," Melson said referring to the license awards by the Commission.

Antoine Mordican was issued a license to grow medical marijuana. Mordican, and the other cannabis growers, has his grow facility built, he has to pay to renew his license annually, and he has harvested a medical marijuana crop; but cannot legally sell any of his crop, because the dispensary licenses are tied up by the plaintiffs' lawsuits.

Mordican said that he is opposed to SB72.

"No, if they give all of us integrator licenses I would be for that or if they opened it up to competition," said Mordican.

Mordican said that the commission should just move forward with the dispensary licenses and stop holding up the entire industry over the five integrator licenses.

Without legislation passing, the Commission will be tasked with implementing the program as is and will have to take it through the code of civil administration.

Melson was not optimistic about a positive outcome from that.

Senator Melson predicted that nothing will get done and this issue will remain when the 2026 session begins.

"I wish I had confidence that they get it solved before the next session; but frankly I do not," Melson said.

Editorial note: As of press time the Senate calendar has not been finalized so it is possible that some version of SB72 could make it to the Senate floor but at this point that appears unlikely.