The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission announced the five top-scoring growing centers earlier this year. 

Some of those centers plan to be ready in the next few months.  Osage Creek Cultivation in Berryville is one of those centers.​

Matt Trulove, with Osage Creek Cultivation.  said,“We are in the dry.  All the walls are sheeted.  The roof’s on and complete.  Beginning all the interior work.” 

They plan to finish construction March 1st. 

Trulove said, “Then we’re anticipating a 90 day cycle from the approval process before medicine will be available or when we’re complete.  So that will be a June 1 delivery date." 

Commission members scored all the growing center applications, but a consulting firm is scoring the dispensaries.​

Scott Hardin, a spokesperson with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division, said, “One thing they did have to do is note that they had no in-state connections." 

The group is out of Boston, Massachusetts. 

Hardin said, "The Public Consulting Group is really ultimately going to take 40 days to have this done, which is much quicker than we were with cultivation.” 

The 32 top-scoring applicants will get a license to sell medical marijuana. 

Hardin said more than one applicant could be chosen in one city.  And the Eureka Springs mayor said he hopes that happens here. 

Eureka Springs Mayor Butch Berry said, “I mean we have over a million-and-a-half people that come through our little town of 2,000 people, so I could see where two dispensaries would be good.  Just our local pharmacy is pretty much crowded all the time." 

Arkansas voters legalized medical marijuana back in 2016, but the process hit some bumps in the road.​

Berry said, “Very disappointed in how long it has taken.  I mean amazing that Oklahoma beat us.” 

But creating regulations took a year, and a judge issued an injunction that shut the process down for about four months. 

Hardin said, ​“We’re really getting there and if we remain on pace as we are right now, we should have products on the shelves and a few dispensaries open hopefully March or April of next year.”