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Arkansas delays marijuana dispensary licensing, appoints new commissioner

Two members of the Medical Marijuana Commission resigned this month. Now, lawmakers need get those seats filled, and commissioners up to speed.

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission says it will wait until early next year to award licenses to the state's first dispensaries for the drug, which voters legalized for medicinal purposes in Nov. 2016.

The panel had planned to meet this Wednesday, Dec. 19, to announce the dispensary scores, but the panel previously pushed back the meeting until Jan. 9, allowing newly appointed commissioners time to be briefed on the issues.

“The majority of people in Arkansas said we want medical cannabis in our state. Where is it?” Melissa Fults, director of Drug Policy Education Group (DPEG), asked. The organization advocates for marijuana reform in Arkansas.

Fults said the two years since voters approved medical marijuana have been a fight for DPEG.

“We've lost so many of our warriors that fought so hard to get this passed – and with the hope, they could use the cannabis to ease their pain and maybe help their situation – and we lose them every day,” Fults said. “It's not just frustration. It's devastation.”

On Monday, Dec. 17, lawmakers appointed Kevin Russell to the Medical Marijuana Commission. He will replace Dr. Carlos Roman, who resigned from the board after serving for two years.

Russell is a Benton police captain with nearly two decades of law enforcement experience. He also led the Coalition for Safer Arkansas Communities, which opposed marijuana legalization during the 2016 election.

“I have been outspoken about it,” Russell said. “As I typically tell people, ‘Do I think it has some medicinal benefits?’ I do. But on the flip side, I know that all too often you're hearing the message that it's completely harmless – and that's why I've been trying to educate people,” he said.

Given Russell’s open opposition to legalization, Fults and other marijuana advocates are upset by his appointment to the commission.

“I may be completely wrong, but I cannot even imagine why they chose Kevin Russell other than to completely destroy this program,” Fults said.

Russell said he is committed to making marijuana available in Arkansas as soon as possible.

“It was passed two years ago, and I think it's actually time it's up and running,” Russell said.

He brings experience in drug prevention and education to the commission and said he is focused on transportation and security issues before cannabis becomes available for purchase.

Russell said that he hasn't agreed with every law that's been passed throughout his career, but he "followed the letter of the law faithfully." He said he also plans on doing that while serving on the commission. 

“I hope he's serious about it,” Fults said. “If he is, God love him. I will welcome him with open arms, but that remains to be seen.

Earlier this year, the commission hired a Boston-based consultant to grade the more than 200 applications for the state's first dispensaries. Under the constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2016, Arkansas can have no more than 32 dispensaries for medical marijuana.

The Medical Marijuana Commission will meet and grant dispensary licenses on January 9th. Scott Hardin, a commission spokesperson, said the delay should not ultimately affect when marijuana becomes available in Arkansas. According to Hardin, approved patients should be able to purchase cannabis by April 2019.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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