Medical Marijuana Commission licenses state’s 38th dispensary, declines to award two remai…

The state Medical Marijuana Commission licensed the state’s 38th dispensary Tuesday but decided not to act on the state’s final two license applications, which expire Jan. 9. The license went to 3J Investments, owned by Jeffery Catlett Fitch and Jeremy Ruiz, who will open the facility in Lamar (Johnson County). The decision came after some uncertainty among commissioners about which dispensary applicant was next in line to receive a license in Zone 4, which consists of eight counties between Conway County and the Oklahoma border.

Based on the scoring on its initial application in 2017, River Valley Relief of Fort Smith was next in line to receive a license in Zone 4, but commissioners learned before the meeting that the business entity owning River Valley Relief Dispensary (River Valley Sales, LLC d/b/a River Valley Relief Dispensary) had been dissolved and was not properly registered with the secretary of state’s office. Amendment 98 to the state constitution requires licensees be “incorporated in the state of Arkansas.”

In a letter to the commission, River Valley Relief argued that it should be granted the license based on access and need in the area. A representative of the company attended the meeting via Zoom but was not…