A Garland County Circuit Court judge will rule this week on whether a Hot Springs medical marijuana dispensary can remain operational after having its license revoked.
The board of the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Division voted a week ago to uphold Director Christy Bjornson’s May 2 decision to revoke Green Springs Medical Marijuana Dispensary’s license in light of several violations of rules for medical marijuana handling and sales.
Green Springs is the first and only dispensary to have its license revoked since the state’s medical marijuana industry launched in 2019.
Owner Dragan Vicentic appealed the board’s decision, and Circuit Court Judge Kara Petro is tasked with deciding whether to grant his request for a stay on the decision.
Between May 2 and the June 12 ABC board hearing, Green Springs sold products that had expired a year after their testing date, according to Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration documents presented at Wednesday’s hearing. Medical marijuana products lose potency after their expiration date, and the continued sale of expired products was among the violations that led to the license revocation.
Additionally, the dispensary’s processing area was “unsanitary,” a required “comprehensive inventory” had not been completed, some products were unlabeled and