Securing a license to operate a medical marijuana dispensary might not be as elusive as finding that fictitious gold ticket to tour Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.
By JOHN SHARP, al.com
Securing a license to operate a medical marijuana dispensary might not be as elusive as finding that fictitious gold ticket to tour Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.
The growing number of business application requests to operate a dispensary is far outpacing the licenses that can be doled out by a state commission next year.
Despite what is shaking out to be long odds, cities and counties throughout Alabama are approving resolutions, ordinances or are revising their zoning codes in preparation of hosting a dispensary.
“It will be an extremely competitive process with the limited number of licenses available,” said Brittany Peters, spokesperson with the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. “But the commission cannot award a license to operate a facility in an unauthorized (jurisdiction).”
City and town governments from the Tennessee Valley to the Wiregrass have been adopting ordinances in recent weeks backing a medical marijuana dispensary operating within their municipal boundaries.
County commissions have also been voting on resolutions with similar supportive language.
The ordinances and resolutions are also needed for the cities and counties to host an integrated facility that would perform multiple functions including serving as a medical marijuana dispensary.
The votes are required by the 2021 state law that established Alabama as the 37th state to legalize marijuana use for medical purposes.