FORT SMITH, Ark. (KFSM) — Fort Smith's first medical marijuana dispensary could be open by the end of the year, according to Fort Cannabis owner Jeffrey Scholtes.
Scholtes told 5NEWS the anticipated opening day for Fort Cannabis is Dec. 1. Things could change though, as no inspection date has been set by members of the Arkansas Beverage Control Board (ABC).
Scholtes says things are "looking great and really move fast now - hopefully, this will make people in the River Valley happy and excited."
News broke last week that medical marijuana regulators may revoke licenses of dispensary and cultivation owners that failed to open by mid-2020.
Arkansas voters backed marijuana for medical patients in 2016. Since then, 10 dispensaries have opened across the state.
In 2017, state regulators approved licenses for five cannabis cultivation facilities and 32 retail dispensaries.
River Valley cardholders have been waiting eagerly for a dispensary to open in the region.
Several dispensaries have opened in eastern Oklahoma after voters in the state passed medical marijuana for patients in 2018.