The final medical marijuana cultivation facility in Arkansas will locate in Jackson County — a reversal from publicly announced plans to locate in Jefferson County earlier this week.
Natural State Wellness Enterprises submitted two winning applications — one for Jackson County and one for Jefferson County — to the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission. That gave it the freedom to choose between the two Delta counties.
Earlier this week, the company announced its intention to construct its facility near Pine Bluff, citing the city's central location and economic incentives. However, the company, which includes former Attorney General Dustin McDaniel as an investor, attorney and lobbyist, said it decided to locate in Jackson County on Friday.
[APPLICATIONS: Read the applications from each of the five winning firms]
“Leaders of both counties want the investment and jobs that will come with this facility,” McDaniel said in a statement. “Until Wednesday, we fully believed that we would locate in Jefferson County.”
McDaniel added that leaders in Jackson County continued to lobby hard for the company to bring its operations there.
The other cultivation facilities are Natural State Medicinals Cultivation in Jefferson County, Bold Team LLC in Woodruff County, Osage Creek Cultivation in Carroll County and Delta Medical Cannabis Company Inc. in Jackson County.
The Department of Finance and Administration said Friday that the five companies each paid the $100,000 fee and posted the $500,000 performance bond required to be licensed by the state as cultivation facilities. The Medical Marijuana Commission is expected to formally issue the licenses Wednesday.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.