“We awarded him this license, and at this point he’s laughing in our faces because he doesn’t care about the regulations of it.”
By Tess Vrbin, Arkansas Advocate
A Hot Springs medical marijuana dispensary became the first in Arkansas to have its license revoked after a nearly five-hour hearing Wednesday.
The board of the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Division voted to uphold Director Christy Bjornson’s May 2 decision to revoke Green Springs Medical Marijuana Dispensary’s license in light of several violations of the rules for medical marijuana handling and sales.
Green Springs owner Dragan Vicentic appealed Bjornson’s decision to the ABC board, allowing his business to remain operational before the hearing. He said Wednesday that he plans to appeal the board’s decision to a circuit court judge.
Arkansas voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2016 to legalize marijuana for medicinal use. The state has 37 dispensaries besides Green Springs, which was the second to open in 2019 upon being licensed; Suite 443, also in Hot Springs, was the first.
ABC enforcement agents found that Green Springs sold 1,882 expired products, Bjornson said. Medical marijuana products expire a year after their testing date and lose potency from then on.
Bjornson