At this point, the arguments in favor of legalizing marijuana have been accepted by the vast majority of Americans. A 2023 poll found that 70% of Americans are in favor of legalization, including a slight majority of self-identified conservatives.
Still, the Biden administration has yet to federally decriminalize marijuana as a scheduled drug, despite issuing pardons for possession-related crimes. As a result, marijuana businesses in states where it’s been legalized are still struggling with federal regulations.
In Alabama, marijuana is currently legal as a medical prescription for a list of 15 specific medical conditions. However, this policy — enacted in 2021 — has yet to bear fruit, as the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, which is in charge of licensing cannabis businesses, has repeatedly blundered its responsibilities.
Now plaintiffs have filed litigation against the AMCC, attempting to remove it from much of the licensure process in order to finally get medical marijuana circulating in the state. The plaintiffs argue that the AMCC is uninterested in actually carrying out their responsibilities and that they are simply filibustering medical marijuana in Alabama.
It is hard to think otherwise, as the commission has spent over three…
