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Arkansas Cannabis Officials Seek Advice From Attorney General

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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]T[/dropcap]he Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission (AMMC) has stated that it wants to work with the Arkansas Attorney General’s office regarding legal counsel in the future.

Since 2016 the AMMC has received legal advice from the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division (ABCD). However, recent news states that the organization would rather receive advice and information from the office of Attorney General (AG) Leslie Rutledge. An AMMC chairwoman unveiled her wish to have the AG office provide insight instead in late August through a letter. The letter was only recently recovered through the investigative use of the Freedom of Information Act.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette states that a Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (ADFA) (which oversees the AMMC and the ABCD) will be changing soon. Eventually it will be moving toward an “enforcement role” which includes the regulation of cultivation facilities as well as dispensaries. “Dr. [Ronda] Henry-Tillman’s request for the Attorney General’s Office to provide legal guidance allows ABC to continue providing administrative support to the MMC while also incorporating new duties,” said ADFA Spokesperson Scott Hardin. “This is a natural step in the process that will benefit all parties.”

A few reported members of the ABCD believe that there is an issue with communication between the AMMC and ABCD. Due to this disconnect, discussions were held to identify where the problems arise.

The AMMC was created after Amendment 98 was added to the Arkansas Constitution in 2016. It’s regulatory role is to issue licenses for medical cannabis businesses who want to cultivate or sell medical cannabis. It took quite some time to approve the first five licenses, which received a green light by the commission in July. Although progress was halted up to this point, now the AMMC can continue to proceed both with license approval as well as the legal counsel of the state AG.

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