Tag: Arkansas

The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission (AMMC) recently announced the benefits that the state’s medical cannabis program, with millions of dollars in cannabis tax funds helping to provide lunches for kids at school. While the state has collected $115 million from cannabis taxes, $87 million went toward free or low-cost lunches for children. AMMC spokesperson Scott Hardin explained the breakdown. “A billion dollars has been spent to purchase medical marijuana but what that means for the state is that we’ve collected… Read more.

A licensed medical marijuana cultivator in Arkansas avoided a license suspension on appeal but still must pay a fine. Hot Springs-based Leafology faced a 15-day license suspension and $15,500 fine after Arkansas’ Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) accused the grower in October of failing to control cannabis odors and neglecting to maintain proper video surveillance and track-and-trace records. However, during an appeals hearing Wednesday, the ABC chose to levy the fine against Leafology but not the license suspension, Little Rock TV station KATV reported. Before… Read more.

A federal judge has blocked an Arkansas state law that aimed to ban hemp-derived THC products, Arkansas Business reports. The decision by U.S. District Court Judge Billy Roy Wilson prevents the state from enforcing the law and the judge also denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss the case, setting a bench trial for September 7, 2024.   The ban, which took effect August 1, narrowed the definition of hemp “to recriminalize the possession, manufacturing, transportation, and shipment of certain popular hemp-derived cannabinoid products,”… Read more.

A group of hemp companies are suing the state of Arkansas in a bid to overturn a recently enacted ban on intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC, delta-9 THC and delta-10 THC. The lawsuit was directed at Act 629, which bans the sale of products derived from hemp that are potentially intoxicating. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed Act 629 into law earlier this year. Widespread concern over minors’ easy access to hemp-derived products – readily available since the 2018 Farm Bill became law – prompted Arkansas… Read more.

Medical marijuana dispensaries in Arkansas will likely beat the sales they recorded in 2022, a state spokesperson said. After selling $23.9 million in MMJ products in April, licensed dispensaries in Arkansas have sold $94 million so far this year, according to a news release from the state Department of Finance and Administration (DFA). Licensed stores sold $94 million in products for the same time period last year. “On average, patients are spending $787,000 a day at the state’s 38 dispensaries,”… Read more.

An Arkansas lawsuit filed in federal court alleges that the state’s cannabis testing laboratories are inflating THC levels in medical cannabis products as part of a scheme to inflate prices, KARK reports. The lawsuit was filed in February on behalf of Jakie Hanan, a medical cannabis patient in the state. A similar lawsuit that alleged violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act was dismissed that month.   The new lawsuit does not claim any RICO violations but argues THC inflation violates… Read more.

A federal judge in Arkansas dismissed several claims by a medical marijuana dispensary applicant, including tortious interference and racial discrimination during the state’s license-evaluation process. According to Law360, U.S. District Judge James Moody Jr. ruled that tortious interference doesn’t apply to the claim made by Absolute Essence because it’s still an applicant and doesn’t have any property or business rights. Absolute Essence’s suit in February 2022 alleged that the company that state regulators hired to score applications, Public Consulting Group Holdings and… Read more.