Antoine Mordican already works one demanding job as an electrical engineer. His side pursuit — growing hemp at Native Black Farms in Bessemer — pays him nothing right now. He calls it research: an investment in the skills he expects to matter once Alabama’s medical cannabis program fully opens, which is why he is watching the state’s first draft rules for cultivators closely.
“I’m not in it for a money grab,” Mordican said. “It’s more like research.” But the draft leaves him uneasy, particularly its discretion in licensing. “It leaves a lot of discretion to the [Alabama Medical Cannabis] Commission to pick licensees,” he said. “As a Black farmer, I know I’m underrepresented in those spaces.” One of his goals is to help other Black farmers learn the craft of hemp before the window closes.
Worries About Big Out-of-State Players
Mordican speaks for many independent growers who sank money into legal hemp hoping for a foothold in medical cannabis. Their fear: large out-of-state conglomerates — with an Alabamian placed atop the paperwork and capital for impressive facilities — will sweep up the licenses. Chey Garrigan, executive director of the Alabama Cannabis Industry Association, shares that worry and wants building standards added in future drafts, though she called this first attempt “pretty good.”
“If you’re not going to use hemp farmers, but allow multi-state operators in, that’s dangerous,” she said, arguing that in-state farmers who have already invested deserve first consideration.
What the Rules Would Require
Under the draft from the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission and the Department of Agriculture, cultivators must submit detailed operations plans covering security, growing and disposal. Facilities need perimeter barriers, locks, alarms, 24/7 video surveillance and badge-logged visitors; grow plans must state plant counts and methods, and chain-of-custody documentation is required. Transporters and retailers face licensing too, with some operators seeking integrated licenses covering all three roles.
Cultivators must carry $2 million or more in liability and casualty insurance, stay at least a mile from other licensed growers or hemp farms to avoid cross-pollination, pass criminal background checks, submit to regular inspections, keep signage off their buildings and advertise only appropriately. Violations could bring warnings, fines, suspension or revocation.
Regulations for dispensaries still await approval, but Garrigan said the state is working toward opening industry applications in September.