Medical cannabis dispensary licenses in Alabama are expected to be issued soon, following years of litigation, Alabama Daily News reports. Justin Aday, general counsel for the state Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC), told the Daily News last week that dispensary licenses have been referred to an administrative law judge for investigative hearings and, once complete, the licenses would be issued. 

A court had already allowed the issuance of cultivation, processor, secure transporter, and testing licenses – which were uncontested – to move forward but the issuance of dispensary and integrated facility licenses remained in limbo. 

Sam Blackmore, pharmacist and member of the AMCC, told the Daily News that he has “guarded optimism about the dispensary category proceeding.” 

“…Our mantra amongst ourselves has been that if we can just get one of these dispensaries open, that will allow the physicians to finally get going so that they can at least make a recommendation that will allow for the patient registry to open up so patients can start registering.” — Blackmore to the Daily News 

Blackmore added that while only the dispensary licenses have been allowed to move forward in the process, he thinks “the same thing is going to play out with the integrated category as well.” 

In April, parents of would-be medical cannabis patients sued the commission over delays implementing the program by the date mandated by law. The lawsuit contends that the Darren Wesley “Ato” Hall Compassion Act, signed into law nearly five years ago, mandated the creation of a system to track qualified patients and caregivers, and used mandatory language requiring action by a specific deadline – giving the AMCC no discretion on timelines – but the state has not yet registered patients or caregivers. A hearing on that case is scheduled for June 26 in Montgomery County.   

In a letter to Mississippi state Rep. Lee Yancey (R), Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R) said intoxicating hemp-derived products are “prohibited” under the state’s Controlled Substances Law. However, Fitch declined to offer an “official opinion” on whether the products could be possessed in the state due to federal law, which allows hemp cultivation. 

“Except for products possessed in strict accordance with the provisions of the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act, the possession – with intent to sell, barter, transfer, manufacture, distribute or dispense – of a product derived from the hemp plant designed for human ingestion and/or consumption that is not approved by the United States FDA is prohibited under Mississippi’s Uniform Controlled Substances Law.” — Fitch in the letter 

Yancey had asked Fitch for clarification on state law as it relates to the sale of hemp-derived products “designed for human ingestion and/or consumption” outside of the Mississippi medical cannabis program.  

“Mississippi law does not specifically address the possession or sale of products derived from the hemp plant designed for human ingestion and/or consumption,” Fitch wrote. “However, as implied by your questions, the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act … allows for the sale and possession of medical cannabis products, including edible cannabis products.” 

Mississippi allows hemp cultivation, although, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Commerce, “the necessary funding to implement the program was not appropriated by the Mississippi Legislature” and the federal Department of Agriculture is in charge of licensing hemp cultivators.

Yancey had sponsored a bill to ban intoxicating hemp products during this term’s session, but the legislation was never taken up by lawmakers and died when the legislature adjourned in April.

The founder of RAW Rolling Papers is the new owner of the High Times brand. Josh Kesselman and former High Times co-owner Matt Stang last week purchased the magazine, Cannabis Cups, and all associated assets in a $3.5 million all-cash transaction.  

In a statement, Kesselman called the acquisition a “‘pinch yourself’ kind of moment.” 

“Eighteen-year-old stoner Josh would be in complete disbelief that I get to bring back a piece of history that has played such an important part in culture and impacted so many lives, including my own. This feels like a dream. Having Matt Stang, an OG and a former owner-operator of the magazine, involved in this acquisition just makes it all come full circle. It’s surreal to be a small part of giving back to the community that helped make me.” — Kesselman in a press release   

Stang said, “This incarnation of High Times is going to be bigger and better than ever.”  

“As an original owner-operator, I’m energized about my partnership with Josh – we’re not just reviving High Times as a news source, we’re positioning it as a guiding light for culture and a definitive authority on all things cannabis and psychedelics,” Stang said in a statement. “At its heart, this is about reigniting the passion of longtime fans while inspiring a new generation to carry the torch forward. It’s about sharing, connection and honoring the culture that we love so dearly.” 

As part of the relaunch, the new owners plan to bring back the print magazine in limited-run, collectible editions, reintroduce the Cannabis Cup event series, “with third-party judging” and “zero pay-to-play involvement,” and rebuild the digital platform to host a network of cannabis podcasts, experts, and community voices. 

They expect the Cannabis Cup to return next year. 

“Our goal is to rebuild the voice of authenticity that defined High Times’ legacy,” Kesselman said, “to cut through the controversy of inaccurate information, create a truly cross-generational community, and restore High Times to its rightful place as an international beacon of counterculture.” 

High Times was founded in 1974 but was sold to Hightimes Holding Corp. – a group of investors led by Oreva Capital Founder Adam Levin in 2017. The following year, the company initiated a Regulation A (Reg A) public offering, allowing non-institutional investors to purchase shares directly, which aimed to generate up to $50 million to support the company’s expansion plans, including acquisitions and a potential public listing. However, by June 2019, the company had raised only $15 million and in July 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ordered a halt to the High Times IPO after the company missed its annual report deadline. The company announced several moves – acquiring cannabis magazine DOPE (and subsequently firing many of its employees) and planning a chain of dispensaries – but last year announced a deal to sell all of its intellectual property to Lucy Scientific Discovery Inc., a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based Nasdaq-listed company with holdings and operations in a variety of psychotropic businesses, before ultimately winding up in receivership. 

In January, Levin pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges involving undisclosed payments to a stock analyst. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Levin participated in a scheme to pay over $150,000 to an investment newsletter analyst who promoted Hightimes’ stock without disclosing the compensation.  

Because the brand name and intellectual property were sold as assets separate from the Hightimes Holding Corp. business entity, the new owners will not take on any of the liabilities or debts of the business.