AR medical cannabis commish resigns; April market launch still expected

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A member of the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission is resigning, reducing the five-person panel to two to start the year.

The market launch of MMJ in the state has been delayed before by legal challenges and licensing snags.

But Scott Hardin, communications director for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, wrote in an email to Marijuana Business Daily that “we don’t anticipate any delays” from the commissioner’s resignation.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that James Miller, one of the commission’s inaugural members, wrote in his resignation letter that he felt the group’s most important and difficult work had been completed.
  • A state lawmaker told the newspaper a replacement will be appointed soon, and the commission will be back at full strength within weeks.
  • An outside firm has been reviewing dispensary applications, with scores still scheduled to be announced at the commission meeting on Dec. 19, Hardin said.
  • MMJ product should be available for dispensaries by April, two cultivators announced last week.