FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — During these last several months many industries are feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, one business that’s thriving is medical marijuana dispensaries across Arkansas.
Scott Hardin, the spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Finance, says cannabis sales in Northwest Arkansas have amounted to about 30% of the state total since sales began in the summer of 2019.
“Medical marijuana in the state is not an industry that’s just surviving the COVID economy, it’s thriving,” Hardin said.
There are four locations currently in Northwest Arkansas with another dispensary in the works. There are also dispensaries in Fort Smith and Russellville.
“You have sales of over 7,000 pounds just in those four locations and now we have a fifth dispensary that will be opening up in Fayetteville probably over the next few months,” Hardin said.
Dispensaries across the state in total have sold over 35,000 pounds totaling more than $169 million in sales.
“We are now approaching 90,000 patients in the state. There are 87,000 patients as of today,” Hardin said.
Hardin says there are a number of factors behind the booming sales.
“If you look in mid-March you saw the CDC recommend that Americans maintain a two week supply of medication," Hardin said. "It looks like people took that advice and applied it to medical marijuana medicine. Also, you have stimulus packages, the checks that have been going out, putting more money in pockets of Arkansans."
Acanza in Fayetteville is the only dispensary in Benton or Washington counties so far the state has approved to begin growing medical marijuana on site.
Because of the pandemic, Acanza is doing online orders only. Which is something that Stephen Pearce says is very convenient during a pandemic.
“It saves a little time, so your order is already ready and especially with him his disability it’s hard for him to walk and get around it’s easy. He just goes in picks up what we ordered and normally we’re done in 5-10 mins,” Pearce said.
The Arkansas Department of Health had extended the use of expired medical marijuana cards. That deadline has ended and now expired cards must be renewed in order to purchase medical marijuana in Arkansas.