Arkansas court hears case over medical marijuana permits

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – An attorney for a company that unsuccessfully applied for a license to grow medical marijuana in Arkansas is calling the state’s process for permitting such businesses “flawed and corrupt.” Attorneys for the state and a firm say a judge who prevented Arkansas from issuing the licenses didn’t have the power to do so.

The Arkansas Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in the state’s appeal of the decision that prevents the state Medical Marijuana Commission from awarding its first cultivation licenses. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen in March ruled that the licensing process violated a state constitutional amendment voters approved in 2016 legalizing marijuana for patients with certain conditions.

Griffen ruled in favour of an unsuccessful applicant who had challenged the commission’s decision to issue permits to five businesses.