AR licenses 32 dispensaries; medical cannabis sales possible around April

The 32 businesses that an Arkansas panel approved to sell medical marijuana in the state have been formally awarded their licenses, with sales expected to start as soon as April.

The businesses received their licenses after paying a $15,000 licensing fee and posting a $100,000 performance bond. Four dispensaries are being allowed to operate in each of eight regions across the state.

Here’s the latest on the situation:

• The 32 firms that got their dispensary licenses can begin preparing their facilities but must pass a final inspection before they can open. Some are “building from the ground up and will require more time,” said Scott Hardin, spokesman for Arkansas’ MMJ program.
• The five cultivation facilities licensed by the state are under construction, and marijuana is expected to be available for dispensaries as soon as April.
• Out-of-state investors were allowed to apply for MMJ dispensary licenses, but the rules required each ownership group to consist of 60% Arkansans at a minimum.

– Associated Press and Marijuana Business Daily