Licensing Update
The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission announced today that licensing for the state’s first medical cannabis dispensaries is postponed until Jan. 9, 2019, because an official from the company hired to grade applications was unable to attend.
Local residents have been wondering what is going on with the large number of dump trucks going back and forth near the medical marijuana cultivation site near Berryville. One Berryville resident took photos of 35 large dump trucks within an hour a week ago.
“The vehicles seem to come from all over, not necessarily our county,” she said. “I am wondering what it will do to the county and local town roads.”
But those dump trucks are hauling dirt for another project not related to the Osage Creek Cultivation medicinal marijuana facility, according to Jay Trulove, chief operations officer for the facility. The Truloves also operate Trulove Dirt Works. The medical marijuana license was issued to Mary Trulove, the wife of Jay Trulove.
Trulove said work has begun on Osage Creek Cultivation that will grow marijuana indoors under lights. He expects the facility will be ready to start growing plants by March 1, weather causing no construction delays. They hope to harvest the first marijuana within 90 days.
The other four grow facilities licensed in Arkansas are Natural State Medicinals Cultivation (Pine Bluff, Jefferson County); Bold Team LLC (Cotton Plant, Woodruff County); Natural State Wellness Enterprises (Pine Bluff, Jefferson County); and Delta Medical Cannabis Company Inc. (Newport, Jackson County).
Scott Hardin, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, which is overseeing the medical marijuana businesses, said the cultivation facilities are in varying stages of development.
“Bold Team [Cotton Plant] anticipates having product ready by April 1,” Hardin said. “They will likely be the first cultivator to put a seed in the ground.”
Medical marijuana was approved by Arkansas voters in 2016, but the first product has yet to hit the shelves more than two years later. While Arkansas was the first state in the Southeast to legalize medical marijuana, there was controversy over how the five cultivation facilities were selected that resulted in legal action that slowed down implementation of the program. Five commissioners of the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission scored the applications.
One of the unsuccessful applicants for the five cultivation facilities filed a complaint with the Arkansas Ethics Commission against Fayetteville lawyer Travis Story, one of the members of the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission, that claimed Story had a conflict of interest because he had done legal work for the Trulove family. Story ranked Osage Creek Cultivation the second highest of the five he ranked highest.
Story’s law partner, State Senator-elect Bob Ballinger, said that one other commissioner scored Osage Creek higher than Story, giving Osage a 97 while Story rated them at 94.5.
The ethics complaint was dismissed by the Arkansas Supreme Court in June.
Trulove said they felt they had a strong application, and they were the only facility selected in the northern part of the state. The four others selected were from economically depressed areas of Arkansas. Trulove said those applicants received points for being in penurious areas.
“We didn’t get any points by having it here because this is not an economically depressed area,” Trulove said. “But we were able to get enough total points to be successful.”
Trulove said they are proud to be going into the business of medicinal marijuana production.
After the controversy over the grading of the marijuana cultivation facilities, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission agreed to hire a consultant to score more than 200 applications for dispensaries to sell the products. Hardin said announcements of the winning applicants for the 32 dispensaries (four in each of the eight regions of the state) will be announced Wednesday, Dec. 19.
There is no requirement by the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission that locals be hired to work there. Trulove said they have hired two experts from outside the area, but plan to hire locals for the rest of the workforce.
“We have hired a very experienced master grower and a very experienced extractionist to work in the lab who will extract oil,” Trulove said. “Those are the two. For all the rest of the jobs, we hope to hire local people. We want to create local jobs. We expect to have about 25 to 30 people working at the facility.”
While declining to give details on the size of the facility, Trulove said it would be fairly large. A security firm has been hired to provide 24-hour security, and the facility will be surrounded by tall fences.
“It will be secure,” Trulove said.
Does anyone know what specie of marijuana will be grown? If it is only for the CBD and terpenes, etc. it will not have any psychoactive properties (THC). I believe the commissions’ regulations prohibit a smokable product which would be in line with growing hemp for CBD extraction. Can you clear this up for me?
A recreational marijuana would probably be the INDICA or SATIVA specie due their high THC content. Would they be using these in preparation for legalization of recreational use? Just wondering what exactly they will be growing.