Cultivators and patients press lawmakers to push Medical Marijuana Commission to release two reserve licenses; committee recommendation fails

Members of the Arkansas State Agencies & Governmental Affairs committee heard three hours of testimony from reserve‑list cultivation applicants, dispensary and cultivation representatives, state regulators and attorneys about whether the Medical Marijuana Commission should release two remaining cultivation licenses before a July deadline.

Bradley Phillips, who said he represented River Valley Relief during the procurement process, told the committee that the commission’s reserve awards will expire on July 10 and urged legislative oversight to ensure the remaining licenses are handled transparently and fairly. "Affidavits of bias, allegations of ethics, and requests to recuse have all been met with resistance," Phillips said, and he asked legislators to press for answers about recent procedural steps the commission and the attorney general’s office took around a contested application involving Abraham Carpenter.

Charles Singleton of New Day Cultivation quoted a circuit court order and summarized its findings, saying that the court concluded Commissioner Travis Story had "served as attorney for and officer in business entities owned and operated by Jay and Mary True Love" and that Story’s…