BY MICHELLE KEY
PUBLISHER
OPELIKA — The owner of Top Shelf Alternatives, Bradley Haddon, addressed the Opelika City Council during Tuesday night’s meeting to speak against the city’s moratorium on cannabis-related businesses.
“I’m the owner of Top Shelf Alternatives in downtown Opelika, right around the block,” Haddon said. “I’m here tonight on behalf of countless people in Lee County who are seeking answers regarding why the city of Opelika has decided to issue a moratorium for businesses like mine and using false information to justify it. The false narrative that this is the wild west with untested, unsafe products is simply untrue.”
He told council members that his business is heavily regulated and that the products he sells undergo strict testing.
“We must keep meticulous records available at all times for every single product in our store. With third-party testing as well as batch testing, the legal cannabis industry in the United States is roughly $29 billion a year, with a little over $9 billion of that coming through the state of Alabama. That’s a third of the entire country’s revenue in this state. That’s a cry from the people that want access to something other than alcohol and opiates.”
Haddon said the customers who rely on his store are not the people often portrayed in negative media narratives.
“Every single day I see cancer patients, [veterans with] PTSD, soccer moms who [maybe] don’t want to drink a bottle of wine tonight to try to get better sleep,” he said. “These are the people using our products, not kids, no matter what the TV tells you.”
He also emphasized his business’s financial contributions to the community.
“Our business over the last three years has averaged over a hundred thousand dollars in just sales tax per year,” Haddon said. “That money has gone to the city and the county to help build Opelika into the thriving economy it is today. We are trying to be the change we want to see in this community.”
Haddon concluded his remarks by urging council members to consider the people affected by the moratorium.
“I would like to end by asking you all to look the people that I came here with tonight in the eye and tell them why they don’t deserve access to plant-based medicine,” Haddon said. “Thank you for your time and all of you have an open invitation to stop by our store anytime with questions or to seek any education on any of these products.”
New to this council meeting was the introduction of a consent agenda format, allowing council members to vote on multiple items simultaneously. Members may request that specific items be removed from the consent agenda and addressed individually as needed.
In other business
- The council approved a motion to adopt the current council meeting agenda.
- The council approved minutes from the Nov. 3, 2025, organizational meeting.
- The council approved minutes from the Nov. 4, 2025, regular meeting.
- The council received the October 2025 monthly building report. City Administrator Joey Motley announced there were 54 new single-family homes permitted for the month.
- The council held a public hearing on a proposed ordinance to amend the zoning ordinance and map to rezone 1.933 acres, located at 1401 Speedway Drive from R-5M to C-2. The council later introduced the ordinance for its first reading.
Resolutions
- The council approved a resolution to accept a quote in the amount of $389,000 for professional services from Critical Insights Consulting with four yea votes and one abstain from Ward Four Council Member Chuck Beams.
Consent agenda
- The council approved a request for a downtown street closure for The Bottling Plant and Event Center on Jan. 16, 2026.
- The council approved a bid for one 2025 Ford F-250 4×4 pickup from Stivers Ford Lincoln Mazda in the amount of $50,588 for the Environmental Services Department.
- The council approved a resolution to designate city personal property surplus and authorize its disposal.
- The council approved a resolution for emergency repair by alternate quote from Webb Utilities & Construction LLC, in the total amount of $441,450 in Northeast Industrial Park.
- The council approved a resolution to purchase two LUCAS 3.1 chest compression systems from Cardiac Solutions LLC in the amount of $48,040 for the Opelika Fire Department.
- The council approved a resolution to purchase FieldTurf Vintage Hockey-Multi System from FieldTurf in the amount of $153,275 for Miracle Field at West Ridge Park.
- The council approved a resolution to purchase installation of synthetic turf services from River Region Sports Fields in the amount of $94,780 for Miracle Field at West Ridge Park.
- The council approved a resolution to purchase two-way radios and related equipment from Motorola Solutions in the amount of $254,476.80 for the Opelika Police Department.
- The council approved a resolution for the first amendment to the Broad Metro development agreement. This resolution will increase the development incentive cap from $7.5 million to $9.5 million and change the required entertainment venue from Golf Suites to Chasing Aces.
- The council approved a resolution for the first amendment to the Miele Manufacturing Project Agreement (ED). The city agrees to extend the annual job performance grants from a period of 10 years to 13 years with an aggregate amount of up to $1,045,000 over the 13 years during which the company continues to operate the leased premises and/or the new facility within the city as follows:
March 1, 2025 – $35,000 (already paid)
March 1, 2026 – $35,000
March 1, 2027 – $35,000
March 1, 2028 – $35,000
March 1, 2029 – $35,000
March 1, 2030 – $45,000
March 1, 2031 – $65,000
March 1, 2032 – $65,000
March 1, 2033 – $65,000
March 1, 2034 – $105,000
March 1, 2035 – $105,000
March 1, 2036 – $210,000
March 1, 2037 – $210,000 - The council approved an annual appropriation contract for FY 2026 in the amount of $112,123 with CARE Humane Society.
- The council approved an annual appropriation contract for FY 2026 in the amount of $6,500 with the Domestic Violence Intervention Center.
- The council approved an annual appropriation contract for FY 2026 in the amount of $10,500 with Girls’ STEPS Inc.
- The council approved an annual appropriation contract for FY 2026 in the amount of $6,000 with the Lee County Rabies Officer.
- The council approved an annual appropriation contract for FY 2026 in the amount of $15,000 with The Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
- The council approved an annual appropriation contract for FY 2026 in the amount of $25,000 with The Arts Association of East Alabama.
- The council approved an annual appropriation contract for FY 2026 in the amount of $25,000 with The Food Bank of East Alabama.
- The council approved an annual appropriation contract for FY 2026 in the amount of $15,000 with Twin Cedars Child Advocacy Center.
- The council approved an annual appropriation contract for FY 2026 in the amount of $10,000 with the Victorian Front Porch Christmas Tour of Opelika.
- The council approved a resolution to designate bank depositories and official signers on city bank accounts.
- The council approved a special appropriation in the amount of $2,500 to the Dream Day Foundation.
- The council approved a special appropriation in the amount of $1,000 to The Arts Association of East Alabama to assist in its production of “The Christmas Truce: A Christmas Miracle.”
