PRAIRIE COUNTY, Ark. — People in a small quiet town in Prairie County now have recently been making a lot of noise after they found out that a medical marijuana dispensary could soon be coming to their neighborhood.
The frustrations began after the medical marijuana commission voted to approve a dispensary moving from Pine Bluff to Prairie County.
Terri Hatcher who lives in Prairie County shared her frustrations and said that she wishes the community could have found out about it sooner.
She said that most people didn't find out until it was already approved.
"I had a neighbor knock on my door and inform me that there's going to be a medical marijuana dispensary built right across the street from my home, and I was shocked, so I asked the question, how did this happen?" Hatcher described.
Scott Hardin, with the Medical Marijuana Commission, expressed that he understands the community's frustrations and that he can see where the transparency is lacking.
"If an alcohol permit is going to go into a local restaurant or a local liquor store is going to move to an area, you see that yellow sign on the building. You see people being notified. That's not the case with marijuana those rules aren't in place there, so I can see where people get blindsided," Hardin added.
Other community members like Norman Metcalf explained how they aren't upset about the incoming dispensary but are more so just upset about the location of this one.
He explained how it infers with residential homes in the area, a school bus stop, and overcrowding by bringing dangerous traffic to the dispensary.
"I think that's wrong if you're a marijuana company looking to put a dispensary there. I think it would be wrong if you're Dollar General or even a Walmart. It doesn't change the fact," Metcalf added.
This move has not only raised red flags for people like Metcalf and Hatcher, but Hardin explained how city leaders have also rescinded their support.
"We received quite a few letters of support going into this process, and people were supportive of the move. However, after the fact, we did have some of those same leaders come back and rescind that support, because they said they felt like they didn't have the full story when they initially sent that," he said.
However, Hardin says medical dispensaries have a lot of benefits. They're an economic driver, and moving the dispensary to the area will help reach more patients and create more accessibility.
Hardin emphasized how he understands that people want more transparency in the process.
"There'll be a public hearing, we'll post it in the newspaper, and then ultimately, the Arkansas Legislative Council would have to approve it, and with that, it would then be final. So we're looking at a couple of months," said Hardin. "I think it's anytime you have additional notification of citizens if that's something they want to pursue, that's probably a good thing."
The next Medical Marijuana Commission meeting is set for November 21, 2024.