Hundreds of Entrepreneurs Have Applied for Arkansas Medical Cannabis Licenses

Hundreds of Entrepreneurs Have Applied for Arkansas Medical Cannabis Licenses

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Late Push for Arkansas Medical Cannabis Licenses

On Sept. 18, 2017, at 4:30 p.m. CT, the Natural State closed the application window for cultivators and distributors seeking Arkansas medical cannabis licenses. The Department of Finance and Administration received a total of 322 applications, with roughly 200 coming in on the last day of application, as reported by KATV.

Ninety-eight applications were for cultivation facilities and 224 were for dispensaries, but the state only has five Arkansas medical cannabis licenses available for cultivators and 32 for distributors.

With some applications numbering in the thousands of pages and more applicants slated to be rejected than accepted, the competition could be steep. Some applicants, like Illinois dispensary operator Chris Stone, might have experience on their side.

“If you can beat us at our game, I give you all the credit in the world,” Stone told the Associated Press. “Those with successes in other states probably have a leg up on those who are putting together an application for a first time.”

Stone has joined forces with two Arkansan pharmacists who hope to cultivate in Brinkley and dispense in Jonesboro.

Once the names of the applicants have been redacted by state officials, the applications will be sent to the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission to review and make selections.

According to Scott Hardin, a spokesman for the Department of Finance and Administration, the AMMC doesn’t have a timeline to adhere to in regards to approving Arkansas medical cannabis licenses, so it’s unclear as to when patients can expect access to medical cannabis.

Caroline Cahill is the Managing Editor of MJINews. She earned her BA in Communications from College of Charleston and her MFA in Creative Writing from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has previously worked in higher education, development and radio. You can follow her on Twitter @CtheresaC.

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