In a monumental decision almost five years in the making, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission on Thursday issued medical cannabis dispensary licenses to three applicants: GP6 Wellness LLC, RJK Holdings LLC and CCS of Alabama LLC. Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries LLC is in line to receive a license as soon
Perhaps you’ve seen the headlines and perhaps you’re intrigued. Alabama physicians appear to be on the precipice of certifying patients to obtain medical cannabis for certain qualifying conditions. Assuming the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission issues at least one cannabis dispensary license at its meeting on January 8, which it is widely expected to do, that
It’s that time of year again. Our annual round-up featuring some of the most read content on Budding Trends in the past year. This year’s edition has a little something for everyone: marijuana, hemp, mushrooms, state law, federal law, banking, intellectual property, and more!
Before we dive right in, we want to plug our January
As we close the book on 2025 and look ahead, we can’t help but feel a strong sense that we’ve been here before.
On the one hand, with the federal government potentially eradicating consumable hemp in November and the president ordering urgent action on marijuana rescheduling in December, it may not be an exaggeration to say
Are you not entertained? In a much-anticipated ceremony in the Oval Office, President Trump signed an executive order that (1) directs the attorney general to expeditiously reschedule marijuana to Schedule III and (2) instructs senior White House staff to work with Congress to revise the statutory definition of final hemp-derived cannabinoid products.
The first of
On November 18, 2025, United States v. Sirois finally came to an end when Lucas Sirois and his father, Robert Sirois, were found guilty in the District of Maine on multiple charges related to a conspiracy to cultivate and distribute thousands of kilograms of marijuana on the black market.
We
I suspect my entry into the hemp market was similar to many of yours. I have never been a regular consumer of THC and consider myself a rule follower. A few years ago, I noticed new cannabis boutiques popping up in my neighborhood. Then canned hemp drinks started to appear at grocery stores around town.
This morning, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission voted unanimously to issue dispensary licenses to four applicants. Absent a stay entered by a court or the commission, three of those licenses will be issued on January 8, 2026. Those three are GP6 Wellness LLC, RJK Holdings LLC, and CCS of Alabama LLC. Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries LLC
A few weeks ago, someone at a holiday party asked “Whitt, why doesn’t Budding Trends take on the weighty legal issues of the day and instead resort to cheap pop culture references and puns?” I thought about responding with a quote from “Run Like an Antelope” but then it hit me: Maybe we
Sportscaster Jim McKay famously said that “our greatest hopes and worst fears are seldom realized.” When the federal government enacted a law that, on its face, would essentially eradicate the consumable hemp industry in America, my first reaction was great sadness for those I had gotten to know in the industry and those millions of