I’ll never forget when the Alabama Legislature and governor approved a medical cannabis regime. We wrote about it with great fervor at the time. In some ways, it feels like yesterday. In others, a lifetime ago. As has been said about raising children, the days are long but the years are short.

But here we are, just weeks from the deadline to request an application. Those wishing to apply must formally request an application by October 17 by using the portal on the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission website. Those who submit compliant requests by that date should expect to receive applications on or about October 24. Those applications are then due to be submitted to the AMCC between October 31 and December 30. Decisions on licenses are to be announced in Summer 2023.

If you wish to request an application, you should be prepared to do so in the name of the person or entity who will ultimately complete the application. As a practical matter, that means that any entity should be formed immediately so that the request can be made in the name of the entity by October 17. 

For quite some time it felt like all interested parties to the cannabis sweepstakes in Alabama could do was hurry up and wait. For those who have not made arrangements to request an application by October 17, now it’s just time to hurry up.