Local dispensaries rank among sales leaders in Arkansas

A photo illustration showing products from Green Springs, left, and Suite 443. File photos by The Sentinel-Record
A photo illustration showing products from Green Springs, left, and Suite 443. File photos by The Sentinel-Record

Garland County's two medical marijuana dispensaries' March sales ranked in the top five, according to the sales report the state revenue agency released Friday.

The strong month put Suite 443 and Green Springs Medical in the top five for first quarter sales, making Garland the only county with two top-five dispensaries. The 683.05 pounds Suite 443 reported during the first three months ranked fourth out of 38 dispensaries. The 257.13 pounds the Malvern Avenue location reported in March sales also ranked fourth.

Green Springs reported March sales of 239.06 pounds, ranking fifth, and first quarter sales of 653.99 pounds, also ranking fifth. The 213.97 pounds it reported in February sales ranked fourth, marking the first sales report in 18 months that had Green Springs ahead of its cross-county competitor. The 1,924 pounds the Seneca Street location reported in 2021 sales ranked eighth, trailing the 2,899 pounds that placed Suite 443 third in annual sales.

Natural Relief Dispensary ranked first in March sales, 419.12 pounds, and first in sales for the January-February-March quarter, 1,179.83 pounds. The more than 3,600 pounds the Sherwood location reported in 2021 sales ranked second, trailing only the more than 4,000 pounds the ReLeaf Center reported in annual sales. The Bentonville location's March sales, 329.43 pounds, and first quarter sales, 963 pounds, ranked second.

Sales are reported in pounds, as the Tax Procedure Act prohibits the state from releasing revenue figures from individual dispensaries. In aggregate, they reported $24.1 million in sales for the month and $65.82 million for the first quarter, generating almost $8 million in state sales tax collections.

"Sales increased significantly in March as patients spent $3 million more versus February," the Department of Finance and Administration said. "The overall weight sold in March increased 500 pounds month to month. If sales patterns for 2022 remain consistent with 2021, sales will remain strong throughout spring and summer. We should surpass 100,000 overall pounds sold since the industry launched later this year."

DFA said Good Day Farm's March 7 opening in Van Buren put all 38 dispensaries licensed by the Medical Marijuana Commission into operation. The opening came almost three years after the state's first legal sale of the drug was transacted in May 2019.

The commission can award up to 40 licenses, per the constitutional amendment authorizing marijuana for medicinal use voters approved in 2016.

The Arkansas Department of Health reported 82,231 active patient cards as of Friday, a slight decrease from the 82,410 reported a month earlier.

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