Medical cannabis advocates speak out as lawsuits delay the issuing of licenses

DAPHNE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Medical cannabis advocates are speaking out as lawsuits continue to prevent the issuing of medical marijuana licenses.

The Patients Coalition for Medical Cannabis Alabama got an early start on Thursday in Daphne at the Southern Cancer Center . This is the organization’s latest push for the right to provide medical marijuana to those in need across the state.

“It’s a valuable drug,” said Dr. Michael Meshad, Medical Oncologist at Southern Cancer Center. “It needs to be available, regulated, and reliable. And right now, we’re having to get patients to get it off the street, which is unacceptable.”

In July, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission moved to award but not issue any licenses to applicants. Advocates spoke on the lawsuits that continue to hinder the distribution of the medicinal drug.

“I’m here today, pleading with people to withdraw lawsuits that are preventing patients from receiving medication because of corporate greed,” Amanda Taylor said.

Taylor is the director of Patients Coalition for Medical Cannabis Alabama. She says the organization is the first to file a lawsuit on behalf of patients statewide. Taylor is an advocate for medical marijuana and has several debilitating diseases, including Multiple Sclerosis.

“You can have difficulty walking, there are spasms. There are so many things, and all they can do for a lot of those things is just give you pharmaceuticals. All the pharmaceuticals come with side effects that the cannabis did not do to me,“ Taylor explained. “Medical cannabis saved my life.”

Taylor believes that once access to medical cannabis is granted, at least 54,000 people around Alabama could receive care within the first year.

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