Alabama
Time to get medical cannabis to Alabama patients, doctors say
Amanda Taylor of Cullman moved out west because the medical marijuana products that doctors said could help her multiple sclerosis and other health problems were not available in Alabama.
Taylor later returned to advocate for medical cannabis in her home state. She keeps a photo from the day she joined Gov. Kay Ivey and others at a ceremony to sign the bill that made medical marijuana legal in Alabama.
But three years after that triumphant moment, Taylor and other patients who need medical marijuana still cannot get it in Alabama.
Lawsuits and other problems have kept the state from issuing the business licenses needed to make and sell the products authorized by the 2021 law.
On Wednesday, Taylor joined several doctors, a former lawmaker, and a former Alabama mayor to call for an end to the legal stalemate.
“Businessmen and politicians are bickering over spoils while we suffer,” Taylor said. “There are people who are sick, suffering, and dying, and no one cares about the patients. It is time for these lawsuits to stop.”
The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, set up to regulate the fully intrastate industry, first tried to issue licenses a year ago, but lawsuits and problems with the AMCC’s procedures have kept products from becoming available.
The AMCC has issued licenses to cultivators, processors, transporters, and a state testing lab. But licenses for integrated companies and dispensaries remain on hold, blocked by lawsuits pending in the Montgomery County Circuit Court and the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals.
AMCC officials had said they hoped products would be available this year, but the litigation makes that uncertain.
A group called the Patients Coalition for Medical Cannabis held the event Wednesday in Montgomery and organizers said they will hold similar events in Mobile, Birmingham, Huntsville, and Dothan.
Dr. Corey Hebert, a pediatrician from New Orleans and medical professor at Tulane and LSU, said he has seen the how medical cannabis has helped patients in Louisiana. He gave the example of a condition called infantile spasms.
“I’ve watched a mother give their child medical cannabis and the seizures stop for the first time,” Hebert said. “And this was before this mother could get this medicine legally in Louisiana. So, she had to risk going to jail to drive to Colorado so that her child could not have seizures.”
Hebert said medical cannabis is an important treatment for PTSD and can help veterans who suffer from that condition.
Dr. Kirk Kinard, an osteopathic doctor who is president of the Pause Pain & Wellness, based in Oxford, Miss., said the company’s clinics have about 20,000 certified medical cannabis patients in Mississippi.
“We’re getting great feedback,” Kinard said. “My mission for Alabama is to bring our brand here so that you can scale up as quick as you can once everybody is through fighting over the legalities of it. It’s time for that to stop and go forward with something.”
Kinard, a member of the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure, said the first two years of medical cannabis in that state have shown that the products are safe. He said medical cannabis is an important option for treating chronic pain as an alternative to opioids.
“It doesn’t solve all the world’s problems,” Kinard said. “It solves a few very well, though. And the consequences of trying it and it failing are literally moving on to the next option.”
Dr. Marshall Walker of Mobile, whose practice focuses on pain management, said Alabama patients need the option of medical marijuana products like patients have in many other states.(Mike Cason/mcason@al.com)
Dr. Marshall Walker of Mobile, whose practice focuses on pain management, said his patients are eager to have the same options as those in other states.
“Cannabis is one of those things that quite frankly I need to fill the gap in pain control for people in Alabama,” Walker said. “My patients bring it up all the time. When are we going to get it, doc? When is it going to happen? Is it ever going to happen? Should I move?”
Walker said a medical cannabis product called Rick Simpson oil helped his mother, an esophageal cancer survivor, deal with the effects of radiation and chemotherapy.
“The Alabama Legislature did what we asked them to do,” Walker said. “Our elected officials delivered what we needed them to deliver. What we now need are the injunctions against us using the law that we have to go away, so we can do the good work like Dr. Kinard is doing in Mississippi and Dr. Hebert is doing in Louisiana.
“Why do our people have to suffer needlessly when on the other side of an imaginary line they don’t have to? It’s not fair to our people.”
Former state Rep. Mike Ball of Madison County, who championed the medical cannabis bill and earlier bills on CBD, and former Mobile Mayor Mike Dow also spoke at Wednesday’s event.
Former state Rep. Mike Ball of Madison County performs a song at Wednesday’s event advocating for the availability of medical cannabis in Alabama. Ball was the House sponsor of the bill that made medical marijuana legal in the state.(Mike Cason/mcason@al.com)
Taylor, a cosmetologist, said she asked her doctors years ago if medical cannabis could provide some relief for her multiple medical problems, which she said include MS, gastroparesis, type I diabetes, and PTSD. They told her it could but gave little hope that it would ever be available in Alabama.
“I packed up everything that I could fit in my car,” Taylor said. “And I literally became a medical refugee. And I went out west.”
Taylor, who said her weight had dropped below 90 pounds, moved first to California, then to Flagstaff, Ariz., where she landed a job in a medical marijuana dispensary. Taylor said she grew stronger from the medicine and documented the experiences of other patients that she talked to. She hiked in the mountains and recorded her thoughts in journals, and prayed about what she should do next in her life.
Taylor said God gave her a vision that she should return to Alabama and speak to the Legislature and a medical cannabis study commission that she should go door-to-door speaking to lawmakers. She said helped change some hard-core “no” votes to help pass the legislation. She keeps a framed photo of the day the bill passed the House. Ball was the House sponsor of the legislation, which was sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence.
Taylor said it is time to put the legislation to work for the people it was supposed to help.
“Who are these lawsuits serving?” Taylor said. “They’re not serving the patient. I’ve been suffering for three years. If it was all about me, I would have stayed in Arizona, where I had the keys to the kingdom. Literally had my own set of keys to the dispensary.”
“Where is the compassion that was promised? I see no compassion. I see greed.”
The law allows companies to make gummies, tablets, capsules, tinctures, patches, oils, and other forms of medical marijuana products. Patients who receive a medical cannabis card will be able to buy the products at licensed dispensaries.
The products can be used to treat a wide range of conditions, including chronic pain, weight loss and nausea from cancer, depression, panic disorder, epilepsy, muscle spasms caused by disease or spinal cord injuries, PTSD, and others.
In certain outposts throughout the South, it’s pronounced “progrum,” not program.
However you say it, the SEC footprint houses some of the most celebrated and iconic college football programs in all the land, complete with rabid fanbases that breathe college football all year. Games are played in towering cathedrals where the crowds partake in what’s almost a religious experience on fall Saturdays.
When evaluating the SEC’s programs, recent results should be considered, but rankings also should reflect historical success, traditions, blue-blood status and fan support.
Here’s how I rank the SEC’s programs, top to bottom:
Alabama football is more than a program, and it’s bigger than an international brand. It’s a way of life. The Script A represents tradition and excellence. Alabama fans are plugged in year-round to their favorite sport, and expectations rarely dip. Coaches who thrive in T-Town are immortalized in bronze. The GOAT conversation runs through Alabama. Is it Nick Saban or Bear Bryant? Either way, it’s an Alabama coach.
2. Oklahoma
The crimson and cream have blue blood. Among SEC schools, Oklahoma trails only Alabama for all-time winning percentage. Double-digit win seasons remain the standard, although the 2000 Sooners remain OU’s last national champion. Oklahoma ruled the 1950s under Bud Wilkinson, then ran back their dominance with Barry Switzer’s wishbone in the 1970s and 80s. Seven Heisman winners point to the program’s star power.
3. Texas
Texas’ deep war chest suits the NIL era, but don’t mistake the Longhorns for the nouveau riche. They’re a traditional power that emerged from an inexcusable, prolonged slumber in between Mack Brown and Steve Sarkisian. Texas enjoyed its heyday in the Southwest Conference under Darrell Royal, but the Longhorns also showed their horns during the Brown era. They belong among the heavy hitters.
The Bulldogs don’t crack the list of blue bloods, but Kirby Smart made them look like one. Georgia has seized a place of persistent power that was long considered possible, because of the school’s location within fertile recruiting terrain. Smart flawlessly implemented Saban’s recruit-and-develop blueprint. We’re witnessing Georgia’s glory days, decades after Herschel Walker and Vince Dooley supplied the previous peak in the early 1980s.
5. LSU
LSU is the only program to have three coaches win a national championship in this millennium. Lane Kiffin could become the fourth. Money poured in to fund his roster. LSU’s standards are such that Brian Kelly got fired after winning 71% of his games. In-state talent gravitates to LSU, but the Tigers also built a national brand, and a night game at Tiger Stadium is a college football mecca.
6. Tennessee
Few states can match Tennessee’s unrelenting vigor for college football. Gen. Robert Neyland put the Vols on the map and got his name on the stadium. Johnny Majors earned a place of adoration. Phillip Fulmer’s Vols flourished in the 1990s. Since Fulmer, Tennessee’s ravenous fans infrequently had a chance to say, “It feels like ’98.” For too long, it felt more like dysfunction, but Tennessee recaptured respectability under Josh Heupel.
Few individuals mean more to a program than what Steve Spurrier means to Florida. He revolutionized the Gators from an also-ran into one of the premier programs of the 1990s. The Head Ball Coach branded The Swamp and gave the Gators an identity. They became SEC championship game regulars. Urban Meyer injected more glory with two titles. Florida lacks the consistency and history of some higher-ranked programs, but its peaks are just as lofty.
These are dark days for Auburn. The Tigers endured five consecutive losing seasons, their bleakest period since the late 1940s. Auburn’s loyal fan base deserves better. Recent woes aside, this accomplished program achieved undefeated seasons under three coaches since the 1990s. From Pat Sullivan to Bo Jackson to Cam Newton, Auburn produced decorated stars. Now, it just needs to pull out of this funk.
Trivia question: When did Texas A&M last win a national championship? Answer: 1939. The Aggies possess the financial resources, fan support and recruiting location to be top shelf, but greatness stubbornly eludes them. R.C. Slocum’s Aggies ruled the Southwest Conference in the early 1990s. Is it time for a fresh set of glory days? Mike Elko’s early returns suggest it’s safe for the Aggies to dream of ascending to their potential.
10. Mississippi
Those old enough to witness Johnny Vaught remember Ole Miss as a powerhouse. Those who watched Archie Manning remember the Rebels with a superstar. Then, Kiffin and Trinidad Chambliss made it so everyone can remember Ole Miss as a playoff team with a premier quarterback. Kiffin treated the Rebels like they were small by leaving for LSU, but not before spawning an uprising that showed the school’s potential in the NIL era.
Arkansas piled up Southwest Conference hardware under Frank Broyles, along with an undefeated season. The conference crowns ceased after Arkansas left in 1991 for the SEC, where there’s been more famine than feast for the Hogs. Even in the SEC, the Razorbacks enjoyed a few highlight seasons, but those uprisings are fading into the rearview mirror. The Hogs need another Darren McFadden.
The Tigers tout seven seasons of double-digit-wins in the past 20 years. They transitioned to the SEC better than many expected. Gary Pinkel became the best thing to happen to Mizzou since Dan Devine. Eliah Drinkwitz has been a gift, too. Anyone who’s a millennial or older can remember the program’s highlight moments, even if they never resulted in a Big 12 or SEC title.
13. Mississippi State
Dan Mullen and Mike Leach did it well for Mississippi State, but Starkville remains one of the toughest SEC outposts to win big or to sustain success. Jackie Sherrill’s 74 wins are the most for any Mississippi State coach. He needed 13 seasons to reach that number. You can’t take the cowbells away from Mississippi State, nor its 15-12 record in bowl games.
14. South Carolina
Spurrier’s successful 11-year run at South Carolina ranks among the best program-building feats in modern history. He won 11 games three seasons in a row, and his teams finished ranked in the top 10 each year. The Gamecocks never won 11 games before Spurrier, and they’ve never hit double digits since he left. Aside from Spurrier’s tenure, the peaks are few and far between.
A program that employed Bear Bryant (and finished 11-1 under the Bear in 1950) can’t rank last on this list, so here we arrive at Kentucky. What can we say about the Wildcats? Well, they own a winning record against Vanderbilt, and they occasionally aren’t as bad as you’d expect a basketball school to be. Mark Stoops got them to a respectable level, but was unable to keep things afloat.
16. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt’s 10 wins last year register as its single-season record, so you could say the program’s never looked better. The less said, the better, about much of Vanderbilt’s history — unless you want to discuss the 1904 season. That year, Vanderbilt went 9-0 and outscored its competition 474-4. Glory days.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
ENTERPRISE, Ala. (WBMA) — The Enterprise Police Department announced Monday that a 40-day search of the Coffee County Landfill for the remains of 2-year-old Genesis Reid has concluded without locating her remains.
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During a news conference on July 13, the Enterprise Police Department said the search operation, which began May 7, involved federal, state, county and municipal law enforcement agencies, forensic experts, volunteers and support personnel from across Alabama.
According to police, investigators developed evidence that led them to believe Genesis’ mother, Adrienne Reid, murdered Genesis on Christmas night 2025, removed her from an apartment and later disposed of her body. Police said Reid reported Genesis missing 53 days after her death, which investigators said affected the timeline of the investigation.
Authorities said the landfill search was based on evidence that led investigators to believe Genesis had been placed in a dumpster at the apartment complex. The search continued for 40 working days and included approximately 10 million pounds of landfill material, according to police.
Investigators said teams examined more than 20,000 non-human bones and inspected numerous bags and other materials during the operation. Officials said the search area was reviewed and cleared by experts before landfill operations concluded on July 10.
Police said the search did not locate Genesis’ remains but emphasized that the operation was conducted thoroughly based on the evidence available at the time.
“The landfill search answered one important question,” police said during the news conference. “It strongly indicates that Genesis was not located in the specific area of interest that would have been believed to be associated with landfill operations.”
The department said the investigation will continue, with the focus now shifting toward court proceedings and efforts to seek justice for Genesis.
Police also expressed appreciation to the agencies, volunteers, local organizations and community members who assisted with the search effort.
“Although our search has concluded, our commitment to Genesis has not,” police said. “We will continue to pursue justice, we will continue to seek the truth, and we will never forget this precious child.”
“After interviewing witnesses and processing the scene for physical evidence, initial investigation shows that the shooting may have been in self-defense during a possible robbery attempt,” he said. “Surveillance video from the business corroborates the witness statements. At this time no one has been charged, but the investigation is ongoing”
This is a developing story. Tuscaloosa Patch will have more information as it becomes available.
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