Ryan Allway
May 6th, 2019
App, Policy
Arkansas passed the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment in November of 2016, but regulations and licensing have been slow to roll out. The first medical marijuana sales in the state did not begin until May of 2019, and before this time even medically licensed patients did not have a place to legally purchase marijuana in the state.
Laws punishing recreational use, possession and cultivation remain harsh in Arkansas at the time of this writing, although some progressive towns like Eureka Springs and Fayetteville have passed their own de facto decriminalization laws. In order to legally purchase marijuana in Arkansas, you need to have a medical marijuana card, which is issued by the state. Purchases are limited to 2.5 ounces every 14 days and must be made from a state-approved dispensary.
Medical Marijuana Patients in Arkansas
As of May 2019, there were just over 10,000 licensed medical marijuana users in the state of Arkansas. That number is expected to quickly jump up to 40,000 however once the legal dispensaries finally open. 32 dispensaries were chosen out of an estimated 200 applicants to open in 2019, and the state will wait till the next year to decide if they will allow more dispensaries to open. Although five licenses to grow medical marijuana were issued in 2018, as of early 2019 only one had actually produced a harvest. This means the state may face a shortage of available medicinal cannabis for the next year or two.
The state of 3 million people could soon become a decent market for medical marijuana but the number of patients as a percentage of the total population do not yet come close to more established medical marijuana markets like Colorado or Oregon. Out of state patients cannot apply for the Arkansas state medical marijuana card but if they have an official equivalent medical marijuana ID they are allowed to make medical marijuana purchases in a licensed dispensary.
The Future of Recreational Marijuana in Arkansas
Although the state has made some impressive legislative progress in the last couple of year, resulting in the passage of a medical marijuana program, Arkansas still has a pretty prohibition based attitude towards recreation. Even for medical users, public consumption is not allowed anywhere in the state. Visitors to Arkansas should keep in mind that possession of any amount over 4 ounces carries a mandatory minimum 3-year prison terms sentence and a fine of $10,000. As the rest of the country and the Southeastern USA opens up to recreational use however, Arkansas may see a change towards recreational use policies.
Marijuana Dispensaries in Arkansas
Acanza Health Group, 2733 N. McConnell Ave., Fayetteville
Valentine Holdings, 3390 Martin Luther King Blvd., Fayetteville
Arkansas Medicinal Source Patient Center, 406 Razorback Drive, Bentonville
The Releaf Center, 9400 McNelly Road, Bentonville
Fiddler’s Green, 419 N. Bayou Drive, Mountain View
Plant Family Therapeutics, 5172 Hwy. 62 E, Mountain Home
Arkansas Natural Products, 931 Hwy. 65, Clinton
Big Fish of Central Arkansas, 1400 Heber Springs Road, Tumbling Shoals
THC RX, 3700 Interstate Frontage Road East, West Memphis
Delta Cannabis Co., 1151 E. Service Road, West Memphis
Comprehensive Care Group, 201 and 203 N. Ok St., West Memphis
NEA Full Spectrum, 480 Hwy. 89, Rector.
Fort Smith Cannabis, 3409 Ayers Road, Fort Smith
River Valley Dispensary, 23788 W. Hwy. 28, Bluffton.
Johnson County Dispensary, corner of Pittsburg and County Pivot 2658, Clarksville
420 RX, 3506 S. Arkansas Ave., Russellville
Harvest, 3740 Prince St., Conway
Grassroots OPCO, 705 E. Second St., Ward
Natural State Wellness Dispensary, 11201 Stagecoach Road, Little Rock
Natural Relief Dispensary, Lot 16 R East Kiehl Ave., Sherwood
Doctors Orders RX, 4893/4897 Mavern Ave., Hot Springs
Green Springs Medical, 309 Seneca St., Hot Springs
Native Green Wellness Center, 26225 Hwy. 167, Hensley
Natural State Medical Group, Airport Road, Hot Springs
Pain Free RX, Pine BluffDelta Cultivators, 5144 Hwy. 44, Helena.
Pine Bluff Agriceuticals, 108 Grider Field, Pine Bluff
Arkansas Patient Services Co., 179 Industrial Park Drive, Warren
Noah’s Ark, 3955 Mt. Holly Road, El Dorado
Bloom Medicinals, 410 Realtor Road, Texarkana.
RX Med, Hines Boulevard in Prescott
Arkadelphia Dispensary, 188 Valley St., Arkadelphia
Marijuana Advocacy Groups in Arkansas
Arkansas Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws – www.arnorml.org
Americans for Safe Access – Arkansas Advocacy – www.safeaccessnow.org/arkansas_advocacy
About Ryan Allway
Mr. Allway has over a decade of experience in the financial markets as both a private investor and financial journalist. He has been actively involved in the cannabis industry since its inception, covering public and private companies.
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