MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – The fight over medical marijuana in Alabama continues to playout more than four years after Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill to legalize medical cannabis.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission has struggl to get off the ground due to ongoing legal disputes over the licensing process.

As of Tuesday, the fight is moving to a new venue: federal court.

A federal lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, naming members of the AMCC as defendants.

The suit was filed by Alabama Always, LLC., one of the applicants that sought an integrated license in the state’s medical cannabis program.

It alleges the AMCC’s commissioners and its staff violated Alabama Always’ Constitutional rights under the 1st and 14th Amendments by retaliating against its for criticism of the commission for alleged violations of Alabama law.

“Our company followed the rules. We met the qualifications. Yet we were denied—again and again—and when we pointed out that the Commission violated the law,“ said Will Somerville, an attorney for Alabama Always. ”They retaliated against us for exercising our constitutional rights.”

The commissioners “insist on giving cannabis licenses to some companies that do not meet the license requirements in the cannabis statute,” says Ben McNeil, an Alabama Always board member.

In April, an Alabama court overturned the medical cannabis licenses that were awarded in December 2023.

WSFA 12 News has reached out to AMCC for reaction to the suit.

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