After four years in one of the most tightly regulated systems in the country, the growth of medical marijuana is apparent despite voters rejecting recreational use.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — The first legal sale of medical marijuana in Arkansas occurred at a windowless, former roadside barbecue shack. Dozens lined up outside the nondescript building in May 2019 after two-and-a-half years of legal wrangling in a sign of pent-up demand.
Today, the same owners have cashed in on that demand by building a 1,100-square-foot dispensary right next door in Hot Springs called Suite 443. The original building is now a tobacco smoke shop with tanning beds arriving soon.
“It’s great. We really didn’t know what to anticipate when we first started, but it’s met all of our expectations,” Green Springs Medical owner Dragan Viscentic.
Green Springs Medical is a dispensary that began selling medical marijuana the morning after what was then called “Doctor’s Orders” filled the historic first prescription.
“Originally, the state anticipated a one percent participation rate,” Vicentic said. “There are three million people in the state, so 30,000 people is what they anticipated would get medical marijuana cards. We’re three times that, so it’s been really good for Arkansas and really good for…