JONESBORO, Ark. – The first patients have begun to receive their medical marijuana cards in Arkansas.
Dr. Dane Flippin with Arkansas Progressive Medicine told NEA Report on Wednesday he had been contacted by several who had received their card.
“We had two patients call saying they got their cards in the mail, today,” Flippin said.
It’s long-awaited for those in need. Voters approved the decision in 2016 but it was anything but quick for those with ailments. Almost three years from the decision of the voters will have passed before the patients could obtain legal cannabis in The Natural State.
But even with cards, patients in Northeast Arkansas – the largest zone – must either travel to West Memphis or Rector to purchase medical marijuana. That’s because a staggering three out of four dispensary licenses were awarded to West Memphis locations. The scoring process gave no regard to geographical location within zones.
All 32 dispensaries, including the four in NEA, have been formally awarded their licenses as of earlier this week. The Department of Finance and Administration said each business had posted their $100,000 performance bond and paid their $15,000 licensing fees.
- THC RX, Inc. (West Memphis)
- Delta Cannabis Co. (West Memphis)
- Comprehensive Care Group (West Memphis)
- NEA Full Spectrum (Rector)
A limited number of dispensaries is expected by DFA to be opened by late April. The remaining are expected to open in 2019, throughout the end of the year.
Seems a strong probability that money and/or influence peddling between the former DEA director/governor and Jonesboro church groups kept a legal form of medicine out of Jonesboro. This reeks of conservative meddling in the process.