“This sends a strong message to the public that this drug has an approved medical use and is relatively low risk.”

Andrea Tinker, Alabama Reflector author

A group of conservative activists signed up on Wednesday Marijuana objections to realignment with Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH).

ADPH held a public hearing following the Trump administration’s decision in April to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug, which has the highest abuse potential and least legal use, to Schedule III.

Former President Joe Biden planned to reschedule it in 2024, but hearings on the issue were canceled in early 2025.

In May, ADPH’s governing body voted against federal rescheduling of marijuana to give the agency more time to determine how to implement it. Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris, head of ADPH, said at the meeting that the department is “fully committed” to implementing the change.

Activists who spoke at Wednesday’s meeting cited several concerns.

Eagle Forum Executive Director Becky Gerritson said the change “will not only harm children, but we believe it will worsen Alabama’s mental health crisis.”

“Moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III puts Tylenol on the same level as codeine. This sends a strong message to the public that this drug has an approved medical use and is relatively low risk,” Gerritson said. “ADPH policy should follow evidence, not public opinion or commercial pressure.”

Greg Davis, CEO of the Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP), a conservative organization representing churches across the state, also spoke out against the reorganization.

“Medical as we call it or want it to be, or any way someone gets it, no matter how it happens, whether it’s on the street on the corner or in a doctor’s office or a dispensary, it doesn’t really matter. The consequences can be the same, and so I would ask everyone, on behalf of our churches across the state, to stand up against this scourge often. Alabama,” he said.

Community member Susan Short said she opposed the rescheduling because of its effects on teenagers.

“Teenagers don’t know that marijuana can make you psychotic at 19 for the rest of your life,” he said. “We are losing an entire generation of young people because we have normalized, commercialized and glorified this addictive and harmful substance.”

Under the Mercy Act passed by the Alabama Legislature in 2021, a minor under the age of 19 cannot obtain medical marijuana without the consent of a parent or guardian and without medical conditions. If approved, the minor may receive medical marijuana that contains no more than 3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Callie’s Apothecary, Montgomery Dispensary, He sold the first medical cannabis in the state last month.

Joey Robertson, CEO and president of Wagon Trail Med-Serv, the sole proponent of the reorganization at the meeting, said not following what’s happening at the federal level could create mistrust between patients and doctors and the state.

“This is a controlled program of the state of Alabama, and it has nothing to do with children outside of children who are eligible for these drugs,” he said. “This has nothing to do with the illegal market, no matter how it grows, and it has nothing to do with the federal government or Alabama moving from Schedule I to Schedule III.

ADPH’s general counsel said that after the hearing, the decision should be taken after August 5.

This story was first published by the Alabama Reflector.

Dalgety Ltd has entered into a partnership with Curaleaf Laboratories to supply pharmaceutical grade cannabis medicines to the UK cannabis market. The arrangement combines Dalgety’s cultivation operations, which are certified to EU-GMP standards, with Curaleaf Laboratories’ pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution capabilities. According to the companies, this creates a UK-based supply route that does not rely on imported cannabis flowers, as Dalgety cultivates its product in-house. Dalgety claims it was the first company in the UK to grow, manufacture and supply EU-GMP medical cannabis from a single site.

© Curaleaf Laboratories

The growing facility, which is more than 30,000 square feet, is located indoors and uses hydroponic growing methods along with automated lighting, irrigation, humidity and temperature control systems. The company reports that it uses AI-assisted environmental monitoring, which extends the traceability of batches to the final product and compares them to operating standards for air filtration systems. Post-harvest processing is said to follow EU-GMP protocols, including microbial and cannabinoid testing.

The stated goal of this approach is to reduce between-harvest variation in terms of THC and CBD content, terpene profiles, and microbial safety. Dalgety says his cultivation is overseen by staff with experience in horticulture and biochemistry, some of whom have worked on cannabis cultivation projects internationally.

Through a partnership with Curaleaf Laboratories, Dalgety’s UK-grown cannabis is processed and distributed through a UK-based supply chain, rather than imported from overseas. Companies suggest that this arrangement can shorten the time it takes to get products to market compared to importing, and reduce the likelihood of supply disruptions. Because Dalgety and Curaleaf Laboratories are involved in cultivation, manufacturing and distribution, the companies say this oversees the product at every stage, making it clearer for prescribers to see where and how the product was made.

© Curaleaf Laboratories

Dalgety operates to EU-GMP standards and has been subject to regulatory review by the MHRA and the Home Office. Its operations include environmental monitoring, microbial testing, stability testing, controlled drying and curing procedures and quality assurance processes, along with controlled and secure facilities.

The company describes its work as controlled environment farming, hydroponic systems, environmental control technology, and efforts to stabilize cannabis genetics and phenotypes for batch-to-batch consistency.

© Curaleaf Laboratories

Dalgety has also opened its cultivation facilities for visits to healthcare professionals, clinicians, pharmacists, researchers and other industry stakeholders. The company says this is in response to the fact that much of the cannabis historically supplied to UK patients has been grown overseas, which has limited opportunities for UK clinicians to see first-hand the cultivation and quality control processes. These tours aim to provide visitors with information on cultivation standards, EU-GMP compliance procedures, environmental control systems, testing processes and the regulatory framework governing cannabis manufacturing in the UK.

Dalgety and Curaleaf Laboratories describe their partnership as expanding access to UK-grown medical cannabis, improving supply chain reliability and helping to meet sector regulations, placing it in the wider context of growing demand for cannabis-based treatments from UK patients.

“Giving more access to drugs, especially recreational access, does nothing to help or benefit Arkansans.”

Antoinette Grajeda, Arkansas attorney

Contains medical marijuana It generated more than $1 billion since Arkansas voters legalized it in 2016

After the state opened its first dispensary in 2019, thousands of Arkansans joined the program and spent a record $291.1 million on medical marijuana in 2025, according to the state Department of Finance and Administration.

Tax revenue from those sales now supports free breakfast for public school students after lawmakers passed legislation last year.

Medical marijuana programs have expanded across the country, as has recreational marijuana. Two dozen states, including neighboring Missouri, allow recreational marijuana use, according to state legislatures.

Arkansas voters rejected an effort to legalize recreational marijuana in 2022despite the national teams spending millions in support of the measure.

Restrictions on marijuana have been relaxed at the federal level, and the US Department of Justice earlier this year downgraded the drug classification of medicinal cannabis.

Here’s what Arkansas’ gubernatorial candidates — Democratic State Sen. Fred Love, Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Libertarian Colt Shelby — have to say about legalizing recreational marijuana.

Democratic State Sen. Fred Love

Love said he opposes legalization during a debate at the Arkansas Press Association’s annual conference in June.

Sitting in a crosswalk at her daughter’s school, Love said “marijuana is all over” as the children exited their vehicles. When you grow up in a community where recreational marijuana is present, you see that it doesn’t always have a positive effect, he said.

“I don’t think it’s something I support,” Love said. “I’ve seen the long-term impact.”

While he doesn’t personally support it, Love said he would support legalizing recreational marijuana if Arkansans voted on it.

Libertarian Colt Shelby

Shelby said he’s for whatever Arkansans want, so he would support legalizing recreational marijuana if voters approve.

Shelby said the state’s elected officials have forgotten what matters most is what Arkansans want, which is why she’s running for office.

Although Shelby says she doesn’t smoke weed herself, she says almost everyone knows it and she has the meds.

“It brings a lot of good things, so I won’t say that I’m against it, but let the people decide”, he said in the debate in June.

Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Sanders did not participate in the June debate, but said in an emailed statement that he does not support the legalization of recreational marijuana.

“Giving more access to drugs, especially recreational access, does nothing to help or benefit Arkansans,” Sanders said.

Sanders vetoed a law passed by the Legislature last year dispensaries have been allowed to deliver orders via a delivery vehicle or drive-through window.

The governor signed into law in 2023 the bill protecting the rights for medical marijuana patients and caregivers to obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun.

In 2025, Sanders backed that uses medical marijuana revenue to support free breakfast for all public school students.

This story was first published by the Arkansas Advocate.