The 33 medical marijuana dispensaries in operation as of June 14 reported cumulative, aggregate sales of over 50,000 pounds, according to the sales report the state revenue agency released last week.
The Tax Procedure Act prohibits the state from releasing revenue figures from individual dispensaries. In aggregate, the almost three dozen locations have reported $338 million in sales through mid-June.
"Approximately two years after the state's first dispensary opened for business, Arkansas' medical marijuana market recently surpassed 50,000 pounds in overall sales," the Department of Finance and Administration said.
Suite 443 on Malvern Avenue in unincorporated Garland County made the state's first legal sale of the federally illicit drug in May 2019. It's reported more than 3,300 pounds in sales since then. Sales of 76.15 pounds it reported for the 11-day period that ended June 14 ranked fourth, putting it in the top five for the 10th-consecutive reporting period.
Two days after it opened, Green Springs Medical, the only licensed dispensary in the city limits of Hot Springs, opened. It reported 4,238.69 pounds in sales through June 14, making it one of two dispensaries with sales in excess of 4,000 pounds.
Sales of 59.1 pounds it reported during the 11-day period that ended June 14 ranked eighth. The 172.36 pounds in sales it reported during the 32-day reporting period that ended June 3 ranked ninth, and the 118.83 pounds in sales it reported during the 21-day reporting period that ended May 2 ranked eighth. The Seneca Street location ranked no higher than 10th during the previous six reporting periods.
The ReLeaf Center opened three months after Green Springs but surpassed the Hot Springs location in cumulative sales in January. The Bentonville purveyor has topped 12 out of the last 13 sales reports. Sales of 125.70 pounds it reported during the 11-day period that ended June 14 ranked first. It's the only dispensary that's reported sales in excess of 5,000 pounds.
NEA Full Spectrum in Brookland ranked second during the latest reporting period, reporting sales of 99.9 pounds. Natural Relief in Sherwood ranked third, reporting sales of 93.31 pounds.
The Medical Marijuana Commission has awarded 38 of the 40 dispensary licenses authorized by the constitutional amendment voters approved in 2016. Thirty-three dispensaries are in operation, and five more are in the process of opening, DFA said. Pine Bluff Agriceuticals has been approved to open by Alcoholic Beverage Control, the agency that enforces rules promulgated by the Medical Marijuana Commission. DFA said the Jefferson County location will open later this month.
Natural Root Wellness, Fayetteville, 3J Investments, Lamar, Missco Cannabis, Jonesboro, and Natural Herbs and Wellness, Pine Bluff, are also in the process of opening.
The Arkansas Department of Health had issued 77,673 patient cards as of June 14, a 12% increase from the number of active cards three months ago. Cardholders are spending more than $800,000 a day on medical marijuana.