Tuscaloosa committee outlines review process for consumable hemp product approvals

Miss Standbridgeidge told the Tuscaloosa City administrative committee that the city will not itself license sellers of consumable hemp products and instead would present requests for a letter of approval to the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control board.

“We are not licensing these these um businesses. The licensing of these businesses comes from the ABC board at the state,” Miss Standbridgeidge said, explaining the city's role is to provide information and a conditional letter of approval or denial. She added the city would not perform compliance inspections for those businesses.

The explanation prompted a motion to adopt the city's proposed process for reviewing requests for letters of approval. A council member who moved the motion said the city should adopt ordinance-style "guard rails" to limit where such businesses could locate. “I would like to see some guard rail rails and some standards from the city side ordinance-wise on, you know, where these are located,” the council member said; another member seconded the motion and the committee voted to pass it.

The committee also clarified that approving a letter to the ABC board is not the same as legalizing marijuana in the city. The item is slated to appear on the full council agenda next week as a resolution; staff and council members indicated they will draft any suggested location standards or other guardrails before council consideration.

What happens next: the committee's approved process and the draft resolution will go to the full council next week for final action. If council requests ordinance-level guardrails, staff said they will prepare proposed language for committee review before final council consideration.