Policy Recommendations Arkansas

2019-2020 Improvements and Recommendations for Arkansas

Arkansas has issued licenses to 32 medical cannabis dispensaries, of which 22 have opened their doors to patients.8 2020 also saw the state issue the eighth and final cultivation license authorized by the 2016 constitutional amendment. The program has a limited list of qualifying conditions, and while patients in Arkansas have the ability to submit a petition to the Medical Marijuana Administration asking for an expansion of qualifying conditions, none have been added at this time. Arkansas lawmakers did make a number of improvements to maintain patient access during the coronavirus pandemic, including authorizing delivery from licensed storefronts, permitting telehealth visits between physicians and patients for eligibility and recommendations and removing annual program eligibility renewals. As state lawmakers return for the 2021 legislative session ASA encourages consideration of legislation to further expand the number of licensed medical retailers and reduce costs to patients either through the creation of a collective model or specific efforts to drive down costs to commercial cannabis businesses that are being passed on to patients.