Arkansas Medical Marijuana Update - 322 Applications Submitted, 37 Will Be Approved

11 days ago the application count for licenses to run a medical marijuana business in the state of Arkansas stood at 20. By the deadline yesterday at 4:30 the application count stood at 322. There was a three hour wait during the afternoon hours, and the number of people turning in applications was by far greater than the number of clerks able to ensure completion before submission.

The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission now has to evaluate 224 dispensary applications, 32 of which will be approved, and 98 cultivation facility applications, 5 of which will be approved. The applications scoring the highest will be the ones chosen.

Here is the breakdown of what each section of the application is worth:

• Qualifications of Applicant: 10 points
• Financial Disclosure: 10 Points
• Business Plan: 16 points
• Estimated Timeline: 4 points
• Manufacturing Plan: 14 points
• Cultivation Facility: 8 points
• Security and Storage: 9 Points
• Packaging: 10 points
• Transportation: 9 points
• Doctor Affiliation: 2.5 points
• Economic Impact: 2.5 points
• Diversity: 2.5 points
• Community Benefit: 2.5 points

Whether the applicant is applying for dispensary or cultivation, the ownership of the group must be at least 60% Arkansas residents for the past 7 years. They applicants will not be allowed to own multiple licenses, and will be turned down if they have previously had a marijuana license that was revoked.

David Couch, acting executive director of the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Association told Marijuana.com that it will take several months for the commission to go through and evaluate all of the these applications. “They are volunteers with real jobs so the review period might take a while.” Before the commissioners can begin evaluation applications background checks must be completed, which may take up to 30 days. According to Scott Hardin, an Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration spokesman said the applications average about 1,000 pages long. That is a lot of paperwork to go through.

There is no timetable for the applications to be approved. It will be very interesting to see how long the process takes, which applications are approved, and where the 32 dispensaries and 5 cultivation facilities will be. For the 1,182 people who are already registered for the medical marijuana ID card, the wait will be a true test of the patient's patience.

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Sources:
https://www.marijuana.com/news/2017/09/arkansas-marijuana-whos-in-charge-in-little-rock/
http://www.4029tv.com/article/high-number-of-applications-for-arkansas-medical-marijuana/12270666
https://www.leafly.com/news/industry/high-number-of-applicants-for-arkansas-medical-marijuana