Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-14-1-.04 - Operations Plan Required

(1) Prior to Cultivation and as part of the license application, each Cultivator and Integrated Facility must submit an Operations Plan to the Department and the AMCC.

(2) Once the Operations Plan is approved by the Department and the AMCC as part of the licensing process, the Cultivator or Integrated Facility must operate consistently with the approved plan. Cultivators and Integrated Facilities may operate outside their originally approved Operations Plan only if they receive written permission from the Department and Commission, as applicable, for:

(a) a waiver, such that they may operate outside the Operations Plan for a specified period of time and for good cause shown, after which time operations in accordance with the Operations Plan will resume; or

(b) an amended Operations Plan, which will be in effect and must be followed from the time of the Department's and Commission's approval.

(3) The Operations Plan must include a security plan to ensure cannabis and medical cannabis remain secure at all times, including but not limited to requiring that all cultivation facilities are (a) fully surrounded by perimeter barriers deterring unauthorized access to and limiting visibility of the cultivation facility; (b) housed in an enclosed structure as defined herein; (c) secured at all times by locks requiring keypad, card or similar coded interface to access; and (d) monitored by 24-hour video surveillance that shows with reasonable clarity the identity and activity of persons at all entry and exit points as well as in all growing areas.

(4) The Operations Plan must include a grow plan that shall show the number of cannabis plants and methods of cultivation the Cultivator or Integrated Facility intends to utilize.

(5) In addition to the foregoing, the Operations plan must, at a minimum, include protocols to address all the following requirements:

(a) All cultivation facilities shall be protected by a 24-hour monitored security alarm system.

(b) All individuals entering and exiting cultivation facilities, including employees, shall be identified, logged in and out, and badged; in addition to the foregoing, all non-employees must report the purpose of their presence on the premises.

(c) Video monitoring inside the cultivation facility must cover all entry/exit points and all areas where cannabis is present. Monitoring cameras must be of such numbers, scope and clarity as to determine facial features of all persons in the camera's view at all times of day, such that the identity and activities of such persons being monitored is readily visible. Monitoring cameras at vehicle entry/exit points must be of such numbers, scope, and clarity to record the license plate information and description of all vehicles entering/exiting the facility.

(d) The Cultivator or Integrated Facility shall provide the Department and the AMCC with engineering plans and specifications of the entire cultivation facility. The plans and specifications shall include:

1. A detailed plan and elevation drawings of all operational areas involved with the production of cannabis plants. This should include dimensions and elevation referenced to a single facility benchmark;

2. Cross-sections that show the construction details and their dimensions to provide verification of construction materials, enhancement for security measures, and bio-security measures;

3. Identification of all employee-accessible nonproduction areas;

4. The location, size, and capacity of all storage areas, ventilation systems, and equipment used for the production of cannabis;

5. The location and door material specifications of all entrances and exits to the cultivation facility, as well as the physical makeup and specifications of all outer walls of the enclosed structure;

6. The location and specifications of any windows, skylights and roof hatches;

7. The location of all monitoring cameras and their field of view, verified to be operating 24 hours per day;

8. The location of all alarm inputs (door contacts, motion detectors, duress/hold up devices) and alarm sirens;

9. The location of the digital video recorder and alarm control panel;

10. The location of all restricted, employee-accessible and public areas;

11. The location where all plant inputs and application equipment are stored;

12. The location of all enclosed, secure areas or loading/unloading docks out of public view for the loading/unloading of cannabis or medical cannabis into or out of any motor vehicle for secure transport.

13. The location of any area used to store medical cannabis that has been returned to the cultivation facility from a processor or dispensary.

(e) A detailed plan for the destruction and disposal of cannabis plants, including parts thereof, and any related materials that cannot or will not be processed, transported, or dispensed.

(f) A detailed plan to ensure chain of custody of cannabis and medical cannabis within the cultivation facility.

(g) A detailed plan to inventory and track cannabis and medical cannabis within the facility and to interface with the Statewide Seed-to-Sale Tracking system.

Notes

Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-14-1-.04

Adopted by Alabama Administrative Monthly Volume XL, Issue No. 10, July 29, 2022, eff. 9/12/2022.

Author: Patrick B. Moody

Statutory Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§ 20-2A-50, 20-2A-52, 20-2A-53, 20-2A-62.