Emergency help Safety alerts Arkansas Search How to help
Menu

Verify · Arkansas

Arkansas medical marijuana rules: what to know and how to check

Arkansas allows medical marijuana only. To buy it, you need a qualifying condition, a physician’s written certification and an active registry ID card from the Arkansas Department of Health. You can buy only from a licensed dispensary, in a store or by delivery to your home. Check the dispensary on the state’s list before you buy.

Checked against the Medical Marijuana Commission (MMC), Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), the Arkansas Department of Health and Amendment 98 on . Next review: .

CHSA does not test, certify or endorse products or retailers.

Official source

Arkansas’s cannabis regulator: Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission (MMC)

These links go to the regulator’s own website. CHSA does not copy or host license records, so you always see the official, current version.

What’s different in Arkansas

Arkansas allows medical marijuana only. Voters added it to the state constitution in November 2016 (Amendment 98). In November 2022, a ballot measure for adult use (Issue 4) failed, with 56.25% voting against it. There is no legal adult-use market.

To buy, you need a qualifying condition, a written certification from an Arkansas physician, and a registry ID card from the Arkansas Department of Health. Cards last up to one year. People with a medical card from another state can apply for a 90-day visiting patient card. Members of the Arkansas National Guard and the U.S. military can't get a card.

Only licensed dispensaries may sell medical marijuana. The Medical Marijuana Commission licenses them, and Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) enforces the rules. Both are part of the Department of Finance and Administration. Growing your own is not allowed.

You can't use medical marijuana in a public place, on public transportation, on school grounds or in a vehicle. You can't drive under its influence. People under 21 may not smoke it, even with a card.

Hemp products are different. Since mid-July 2025, the state has enforced a ban on intoxicating products made from hemp, such as delta-8 and delta-10 THC. The state says selling or having them is illegal.

Arkansas medical marijuana rules at a glance

These are the main state rules for medical marijuana. Arkansas has no adult-use market. Numbers in brackets link to the law or the rules.

Arkansas rules, with sources
Topic The rule Source
Minimum age Medical use only, with a registry ID card. Patients must be 18 or older. A patient under 18 can qualify, but only a parent or guardian registered as a caregiver may buy for them. Caregivers must be 21 or older. No one under 21 may smoke medical marijuana. [1] ADH Qualified Patient and Designated Caregiver Requirements; ADH FAQs; Ark. Const. amend. 98, § 2 and § 6(a)(5)
How much you can have A patient or caregiver may have up to 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana. A dispensary may sell a patient or caregiver no more than 2.5 ounces in any 14-day period. Each purchase counts against the limit for 14 days. Keep it in the dispensary's package. [2] Ark. Const. amend. 98, § 3(a) and § 10(b)(8); ADH FAQs (dispensary questions)
Growing at home Not allowed. The amendment allows growing only at licensed dispensaries and cultivation facilities. Patients and caregivers may not grow marijuana. [2] Ark. Const. amend. 98, § 21; ADH FAQs
Delivery Allowed from licensed dispensaries, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Delivery may go only to the Arkansas home address on the patient's or caregiver's card, not to a hotel, dorm or business. The driver checks your card, and you sign for the order. At least two employees must be in the vehicle. [3] 20 CAR § 810-801(c) and § 810-1609
Required lab tests Every batch must be tested by a lab before it is sold. Tests cover pesticides, water activity and moisture, THC and CBD amounts, and heavy metals. Harvests are also tested for microbes, and most concentrates for leftover solvents. A batch that fails can be treated under the rules, or it must be destroyed. [3] 20 CAR § 202-105, § 202-106 and § 202-117
Labels Labels must show the producer's name and license number, a unique ID number, the harvest date, the strain, the net weight, the THC and CBD amounts, how long it takes to feel effects, the testing lab and test date, and the state's universal symbol. They must carry warnings that it is for patients only and should be kept away from children, that use during pregnancy or breastfeeding may cause harm, and that the FDA has not cleared it to treat any disease. [3] 20 CAR § 202-104(b)-(c)
Packaging Products must be sold in sealed, child-proof containers that meet the federal child-resistant test. Packages may not be shaped like or show an animal, vehicle, person or character, or look like candy. The outer package you leave the store with must say "Keep out of the reach of children." [3] 20 CAR § 810-1301(a)(2) and § 202-104; Ark. Const. amend. 98, § 8
Edible THC limits An edible may contain no more than 10 mg of THC per portion, and portions must be marked. If it can't be split into portions, the whole item may contain no more than 10 mg. [3] 20 CAR § 810-1204
Poison control Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center: 1-800-222-1222 . Free, confidential, 24/7. Call 911 if someone has trouble breathing or won’t wake up. pharmacy.uams.edu

Arkansas recalls

We did not find a public recall list on the Medical Marijuana Commission’s or the Department of Health’s websites. State rules say each dispensary must have a plan to contact patients about a recall and must tell ABC and the Department of Health within 24 hours of finding a hazardous product. 3 CHSA does not monitor Arkansas recalls yet. If you think a product made you sick, call Poison Help, then tell the dispensary and the Commission.

How Arkansas compares

Compare Arkansas with the other states CHSA covers.

Sources

  1. Qualified Patient Requirements Arkansas Department of Health · Retrieved
  2. Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2016 (Ark. Const. amend. 98), current through the 2026 Fiscal Session Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (compiled with the medical marijuana rules) · Retrieved
  3. Arkansas medical marijuana rules: 20 CAR Part 202 (Department of Health) and Part 810 (Alcoholic Beverage Control) Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration · Retrieved
  4. Medical Marijuana Commission Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Medical Marijuana Commission · Retrieved
  5. Dispensary Locations (list of licensed medical marijuana dispensaries by zone) Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Medical Marijuana Commission · Retrieved
  6. Medical Marijuana Arkansas Department of Health · Retrieved
  7. Medical Marijuana FAQs Arkansas Department of Health · Retrieved
  8. Designated Caregiver Requirements Arkansas Department of Health · Retrieved
  9. Medical Marijuana 2025 Fiscal Year Report (July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025) Arkansas Department of Health and Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration · Retrieved
  10. 2022 General Election official results: Issue No. 4 (adult-use cannabis amendment) Arkansas Secretary of State (election night reporting site) · Published · Retrieved
  11. Re: Sale, Production, and Possession of Intoxicating Substances Derived from Industrial Hemp (letter to permit holders) Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Regulatory Division · Published · Retrieved
  12. DFA Enforcement seizes 6,000 illegal hemp-derived products Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration · Published · Retrieved
  13. Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Pharmacy · Retrieved

CHSA does not test, certify or endorse products or retailers.