CULLMAN, Ala.- Cullman County’s Wagon Trail Med-Serv was one of five integrated facility applicants awarded medical cannabis business licenses by the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) at its meeting on Dec. 12, 2023. The other four were Trulieve AL, Sustainable Alabama, Flowerwood Medical Cannabis and Specialty Medical Products of Alabama.
“First, I thank all of the integrated facility applicants for their diligent efforts throughout this lengthy licensing process. Second, I cannot emphasize strongly enough how much I appreciate the commitment and hard work of each commissioner as we have navigated through this phase of the program,” explained AMCC Chairman Rex Vaughn. “The result of these efforts has led to the award of licenses to entities who the commission has determined are well-suited to serve patients through Alabama’s medical cannabis program.”
Following this award of licenses, the procedural timelines associated with the post-award licensing process will begin along with the pre-issuance site inspections, according to a media release from the AMCC. Those applicants who were awarded a license will have 14 days to submit the appropriate license fee. Also, any applicant who has been denied a license has 14 days to request an investigative hearing before the Commission for reconsideration of said denial.
The release continued, saying that under the rules promulgated by the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, physicians may begin the certification process to recommend medical cannabis to patients after business licenses have been issued. For a patient to qualify for medical cannabis, the patient must have at least one of the qualifying conditions and be recommended for medical cannabis by a certified physician.
Wagon Trail Med-Serv CEO and President Joey Robertson and his facility faced a monthslong uphill battle to receive the license, and a site visit on Jan. 9, 2024, by the AMCC could concrete the location’s status as a fully licensed medical cannabis growing operation. After many stalls in the licensing process throughout 2023, Robertson was able to present photos, videos and documents before the AMCC earlier this month.
“Our interview on Dec. 6 went very well. They had great questions at the end and we really appreciated the opportunity to go and show them who we were and that we were more than a stack of papers,” said Robertson. “This interview was the second best thing that could have happened, behind the commissioners actually coming out and seeing the facility and talking to us. We were able to present videos of our facility and have real conversations with them about who we are and what we have done.”
The next steps for Robertson and Wagon Trail are approaching quickly. AMCC staff will hold an in-person interview at the site on Jan. 9 to inspect and ensure rules and regulations are being followed and timelines are attainable. At that point, if the AMCC believes that Wagon Trail is fully equipped and ready for business, a full Integrated Facility License will be awarded. If that happens, said Robertson, it’s “full speed ahead.”
In addition to a fully operational growing and processing facility, Robertson plans to expand into dispensaries. “We will have a medical cannabis dispensary in Cullman,” he said. “When our patient databases are built and there’s an increased need for more dispensaries we will expand that footprint. We are limited by law on how many dispensaries we can operate; any more than five, the commission will look at the need for it and approve on a case-by-case basis.”
Robertson said he has been surprised and humbled by the overwhelmingly positive feedback he’s gotten from the community. Expecting harsh pushback from the Bible Belt town, Robertson said although he has had some pushback, the community has been overwhelmingly in support of his business.
Cullman Economic Development Agency Director Dale Greer visited Robertson and Wagon Trail and said, “I was blown away. I’ve been in economic development for over 30 years and I’ve been in a lot of manufacturing plants. This is a manufacturing operation; I would even call it pharmaceutical manufacturing. I don’t see how he could be better than he already is.”
Said Rep. Corey Harbison, R-Good Hope, “I have watched Wagon Trail grow from the beginning. They went above and beyond in the hemp business and know they will do the same thing with medical cannabis. I would personally much rather see good, local hard-working people get in on the ground level here over out-of-state investors that have no ties or interest in the community.”
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