Birmingham City Council Highlights 10.4.22

Here are a few of the legislative highlights from Tuesday’s Birmingham City Council meeting, in case you missed it.

ITEM 13:

On Tuesday the Birmingham City Council passed an ordinance that will lay the groundwork for medical cannabis dispensaries to operate within the city limits.

The vote was the first step in a lengthy process that is laid out in the state bill that was passed earlier this year. In order to eventually accommodate medical cannabis dispensaries, municipalities must first pass an ordinance to allow for such businesses – which is what was accomplished today.

“It’s important for Birmingham to lead the state in regards to access to medical cannabis,” Council President Wardine Alexander said. “Not only is Jefferson County the most populated in the state, but Birmingham has been a leader in healthcare for Alabama and the region and this is another form of care that we will be able to provide to those in need. Today’s vote is about providing care to patients while also continuing to bolster Birmingham’s place as Alabama’s leader in healthcare.”

Medical cannabis dispensaries will provide a new tax revenue stream for the City while also adding employment opportunities. 

It’s no secret that marijuana-related arrests have disproportionately impacted Black communities around the country. Councilor Carol Clarke said she would like to see equitable processes be put in place to help provide economic opportunities for historically underserved communities.

“This is all new, but I want to make sure that we’re being inclusive to all our communities in Birmingham,” Clarke said. “As a city, moving forward I hope we can be intentionally inclusive in that regard with who can operate and who is benefiting from these new businesses.”

Here is a brief breakdown of what the state bill:

BILL ALLOWS THE FOLLOWING SALES : Oral tablet, capsule, or tincture. Non-sugarcoated gelatinous cube, lozenge in a cube or rectangular cuboid shape. Gel, oil, cream, or other topical preparation, Suppository, Transdermal patch, Nebulizer, Liquid or oil for administration using an inhaler.

BILL DOES NOT ALLOW: Raw plant material; Any product administered by smoking, combustion or vaping; A food product that has medical cannabis baked, mixed, or otherwise infused into the product, such as cookies or candies.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission will have regulatory powers and oversight for the medical cannabis dispensaries.

The Commission will be accepting applications for dispensaries from October 31, to December 30, 2022. Following a public comment period, licenses will start be issued after July 10, 2023. There are a limited number of licenses that can be issued for municipalities.

QUALIFYING CONDITIONS FOR PATIENTS

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

• Cancer-related cachexia, nausea or vomiting, weight loss, or chronic pain

• Crohn’s Disease

• Depression

• Epilepsy or a condition causing seizures

• HIV/AIDS-related nausea or weight loss

• Panic disorder

• Parkinson’s disease

• Persistent nausea that is not significantly responsive to traditional treatment, except for nausea related to pregnancy, cannabis-induced cyclical vomiting syndrome, or cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Sickle Cell Anemia

• Spasticity associated with a motor neuron disease, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

• Spasticity associated with Multiple Sclerosis or a spinal cord injury

• Terminal illness

• Tourette’s Syndrome

• A condition causing chronic or intractable pain in which conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy is contraindicated or has proved ineffective

ITEM 16

The Birmingham City Council approved an agreement between the City and Create Birmingham in which they will provide professional services in attracting and developing film, television, commercial, music video and other media productions that will have a significant impact on the City’s local creative economy while raising Birmingham’s national profile as a dynamic and hospitable place to do business.

Create Birmingham plays a key role in recruiting major film productions to Birmingham, and has seen tremendous success in recent years. The agreement also funds the production and management of a cultural arts and events calendar, community arts funding, and creative entrepreneurship assistances.

“This organization is a lean and mean economic development engine for Birmingham and our entire region,” Councilor Carol Clarke said. “Following the recession in 2008 and 2009, public funding for the arts dried up and this organization was forced to compete for corporate funding. They’ve reinvented themselves into a economic development organization that supports the arts and I think they are a hidden gem in our city. They are fueling our local economy with cool new enterprises and I want to give them a shout out for all their hard work.”

Over the past several years Birmingham has become a destination for production companies due in part to the work being done by Create Birmingham.

Here is the item as it appeared on Tuesday’s agenda:

ITEM 16. A Resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute and deliver an Agreement for Consulting Services with Create Birmingham, Inc., under which Create Birmingham will provide professional services in attracting and developing film, television, commercial, music video and other media productions that will have a significant impact on the City’s local creative economy while raising Birmingham’s national profile as a dynamic and hospitable place to do business, for a term of one (1) year and for an amount not to exceed $150,000.00.