Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Medical Marijuana Regulation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee considers patient-focused changes to medical marijuana rules; delivery and drive-through language debated
Summary
House Bill 1889 would permit invitation-only dispensary tours, authorize drive-through dispensing for preordered medical marijuana, and reduce the required delivery crew from two employees to one with security safeguards; the committee heard testimony and the measure did not pass in committee.
House Bill 1889, described by sponsor Senator Joshua Bryant (Senate District 32) as a patient-focused modernization of the Arkansas medical-marijuana program, was debated in committee and failed on a roll-call.
Bryant summarized three primary changes in the bill: allow invitation-only tours of dispensaries for stakeholders, permit dispensaries to use drive-through windows to hand preordered products to patients similar to pharmacy models, and reduce delivery staffing from two employees to one if the vehicle is equipped with GPS tracking and security protocols.
David Potter of the enforcement division (ATC enforcement) told the committee the system requires identity verification: deliveries must be made to the patient or the patient's caregiver and the dispensary must verify identity. “They have to verify identity for that. That is tracked through our system,” Potter said, answering a committee question about whether the person who orders must be the one to receive the product.
Industry witnesses, including Bill Paschal, executive director of the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association, said reducing delivery staffing from two to one would reduce operating costs for small businesses and that GPS tracking and other security measures would remain in place.
The committee called a roll-call vote after closing debate. The roll call recorded multiple yes and no votes; the chair announced the bill did not pass in committee.
Because the bill would alter regulatory delivery requirements and patient-access options, implementation if enacted would have required coordination with ATC enforcement and dispensary tracking systems and would have required rule updates to reflect the new delivery and drive-through provisions.
