Get new name, judge tells pot dispensary

CONWAY -- A medical marijuana dispensary in Little Rock has been ordered to stop operating under the name "Harvest" by a Faulkner County judge in a lawsuit filed by a similarly named dispensary in Conway.

The operators of the Harvest Cannabis Dispensary in Conway lauded the judge's ruling last Monday against Harvest House of Cannabis, which they accused of "bully" tactics in attempting to secure use of the name.

"We have been open and honest about our intentions and branding since September 2017, when we first came up with the name around the breakfast table and sought a license from the state," Elizabeth Barnett, the CEO of the Conway dispensary, said in a statement.

An attorney for the Little Rock group, which is incorporated under the business names Natural State Wellness Dispensary and Natural State Enterprises, said he would pass along a request for comment from the business on Wednesday. No comment was provided before press time.

The dispensary in Little Rock is managed by Harvest Enterprises Inc., a cannabis company based in Arizona and with locations in several states, according to its website and court filings.

Shortly before it became the first dispensary to open in Little Rock in February, the owners changed the name from Natural State Wellness Dispensary to Harvest House of Cannabis. A similar name change was made at the group's cultivation facility in Newport.

Harvest Cannabis Dispensary in Conway, which opened in October, filed suit seeking to keep the Little Rock group from operating under the similar name.

In court filings, attorneys for the Little Rock group defended their use of the name, arguing the owners of the Conway dispensary were aware of the connection between the Little Rock group and the national company using the name Harvest before they opened their store.

NW News on 06/03/2020

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