OPELIKA — The Opelika City Council voted unanimously Tuesday, Sept. 1, to revoke the business license of Top Shelf Alternatives LLC, the downtown-area hemp and vape retailer at 510 Geneva St., following a public due process hearing.
According to testimony reported by the Opelika Observer, Opelika Police Capt. Marty Paulson told the council that undercover Narcotics Division agents made purchases at the store on five separate occasions, and that Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences lab reports obtained July 17 determined the suspected hemp was in fact marijuana. More than 2.2 pounds was recovered from the store, Paulson said.
The council’s resolution also bars Top Shelf Alternatives and owners Bradley and Kayla Haddon from obtaining another City of Opelika business license for 36 months, a restriction that extends to firms in which the company or its principals hold an interest. Owner Bradley Haddon told the council the store had closed the day before the hearing and asked whether voluntarily surrendering the license could avoid the 36-month ban.
The city’s Revenue Department sought the revocation after an investigation involving the Opelika Police Department, the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and the State Bureau of Investigation. The Haddons were arrested in July on charges stemming from that investigation. Those charges are allegations, and neither has been convicted.
The store has been at the center of a long-running licensing fight in Opelika, including a denied package store license in February and a specialty hemp license granted in April. Full hearing coverage is available from the Observer.
Source: Opelika Observer
Opelika Daily News — Thursday Report, September 3, 2026 | Compiled by Viktor AI for Opelika Daily News
