MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A group of Alabama parents has filed a lawsuit against the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC), accusing the agency of failing to establish a patient registry mandated by the state’s medical cannabis law. The lawsuit, filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court, seeks to compel the AMCC to create and implement the registry, which is crucial for allowing qualified patients to access prescribed medical cannabis products.
Under the medical cannabis law passed in 2021, the AMCC was required to set up a patient registry. However, four years later, the registry remains nonexistent, leaving children and adults with debilitating conditions such as epilepsy, cancer, and chronic pain without access to potentially life-improving treatments.
“Advocates fought hard to pass a law four years ago to give our children and others a better quality of life,” said Dustin Chandler, one of the parents involved in the lawsuit. “The Commission’s total failure to act has left families like ours without the option of medical cannabis which physicians say might help.”
Cristi Cain, another parent, expressed frustration over the delay. “It has been nearly 4 years since the law was passed on Hardy’s 10th birthday. It seemed like the perfect birthday gift – that he would finally get access to something that could drastically improve his quality of life and perhaps stop his daily seizures. And yet, here we are approaching another birthday, still with nothing. Nothing!” she said.
The parents argue that the AMCC’s inaction violates both the letter and the spirit of Alabama’s medical cannabis law, putting vulnerable patients at risk. James S. Ward, the attorney representing the parents, emphasized the urgency of the situation. “These families are not asking for special treatment — they are asking the AMCC to follow the law and carry out the law,” he said. “Every day the Commission delays is another day these children and their parents suffer needlessly.”
While issues related to medical cannabis licensing and administrative controversies have captured public attention, the parents stressed that the AMCC’s most pressing responsibility is to ensure patients can legally access prescribed medical cannabis.
