MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – Alabamians waiting on access to medical marijuana will have to continue waiting, according to a court ruling on the issue this week.

The program to legalize medical cannabis in Alabama, signed by Governor Kay Ivey four years ago, is still struggling to get off the ground due to ongoing legal disputes over the licensing process.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, which issues licenses to those who grow and dispense medical marijuana, was met with several lawsuits claiming that the commission did not follow the Alabama Administrative Procedures Act which governs these types of processes.

A court ruling this week resulted in the licenses that the commission issued in December of 2023 being tossed out, effectively starting the process over from the beginning.

“After two years of being stuck in the mud, having a log jam, this at least offers a path forward to have them follow and get licenses issued,” Will Somerville, an attorney for Alabama Always said. “It’ll probably take several months to do this, but it’s better than two years. It’s nice to finally have that clear.”

John McMillan, the director of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission expressed frustration with how the ordeal has unfolded.

“Just continued high level of frustration with the way this has evolved, has become pretty obvious that there’s some powerful forces in Alabama that are intent on keeping this program from getting going unless they have their way, whatever that way seems to be. They’re coming at every angle.” He said.

Commission director John McMillan says they are still trying to decide from a legal perspective what the next steps are going to be. He says this may include filing an appeal.

Not reading this story on the WSFA News App? Get news alerts FASTER and FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!

Copyright 2025 WSFA. All rights reserved.