Arkansas medical marijuana program could launch within days

Be at the forefront of cannabis and psychedelics science and innovation. Register by March 14 & Save $100 on tickets to The Emerald Conference by MJBiz Science, April 1-3 in San Diego.


A medical cannabis dispensary in Arkansas received state approval to open, setting the stage for an imminent start to sales for the long-awaited medical marijuana program.

Doctors Orders RX of Hot Springs got its final OK from state regulators on Friday.

“Doctors Orders is the first to receive approval,” Arkansas MMJ spokesman Scott Hardin wrote in an email to Marijuana Business Daily.

“The dispensary’s owners may now decide which day this will take place.”

Doctors Orders did not respond immediately for comment on when it plans to open.

A second dispensary, Green Springs Medical, also of Hot Springs, is scheduled for a final inspection by state regulators on May 9.

The state has not scheduled any other inspections yet, Hardin wrote. Arkansas has licensed 32 dispensaries.

It’s unclear how much supply will be available initially, as growers just recently started harvesting flower.

Arkansas voters legalized medical marijuana in 2016, but the program has seen a variety of challenges in getting off the ground.