Arkansas won’t issue medical marijuana cards until February

FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas’ health department has yet to issue licenses to the thousands of residents approved to buy medical marijuana in the state, which is affecting patients’ ability to get temporary licenses in neighboring Oklahoma.
Arkansas Department of Health spokeswoman Meg Mirivel says medical marijuana cards likely won’t be distributed until February. She says local officials don’t want residents to pay for a card they won’t be able to use yet, in part because the cards must be renewed after a year.
The Southwest Times Record reports that without the state cards, Arkansas patients can’t get a temporary out-of-state card for medical cannabis in Oklahoma.
Arkansas’ health department had said cards wouldn’t be printed until a month before Arkansas dispensaries have medical cannabis available. Marijuana-growing businesses licensed by Arkansas say their harvests won’t be available until about April.