Cannabis
in Arkansas

Arkansas has no adult-use market, so the only lawful possession is by registered medical patients. Under Amendment 98, the constitutional amendment voters approved as Issue 6 in 2016, a cardholder may buy up to 2.5 ounces of usable cannabis in any 14-day period, counted across all dispensaries combined, and all of it must come from a licensed dispensary. Outside the medical program, possession remains a crime. Holding less than four ounces is a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500, and four ounces up to ten pounds is a Class D felony. Any cannabis conviction also brings a six-month driver's license suspension. Some cities have loosened enforcement of small amounts locally, but state penalties still apply everywhere.

Because Arkansas has not legalized cannabis for adults, there is no recreational purchase age. A 2022 ballot measure that would have set 21 as the adult-use age was defeated. For the medical program, the Arkansas Department of Health requires applicants to be at least 18. Younger patients can still qualify, but a parent or guardian has to register as their caregiver, and minors must be accompanied by that caregiver when purchasing. Caregivers themselves must be at least 21. There is a further age rule on product form: patients under 21 are not allowed to consume herbal cannabis, which in practice steers younger patients toward non-smokable products such as edibles or oils.

Growing cannabis at home is not allowed in Arkansas, including for registered medical patients and their caregivers. The voter-approved medical program was built around a closed supply chain of state-licensed cultivators and dispensaries, and patients are expected to buy everything they use from a licensed dispensary. Anyone who cultivates without a license is treated under the general drug laws, where the charge depends on the quantity grown and whether there is evidence of intent to sell. Manufacturing 14 grams or less is a Class A misdemeanor, while larger amounts move into felony territory with mandatory minimum sentences at the higher weight tiers. No pending legislation to allow home cultivation appears in the research for this state.

Oversight of Arkansas's medical cannabis program is split across three state bodies. The Arkansas Department of Health runs the patient side, reviewing applications and issuing registry identification cards to patients and caregivers. The Medical Marijuana Commission, which sits within the Department of Finance and Administration, sets business rules and awards cultivation and dispensary licenses, using an eight-zone map to spread dispensaries around the state. Arkansas Alcohol and Beverage Control then licenses and enforces rules on operating dispensaries. The constitution allows between 20 and 40 dispensaries and between four and eight cultivators. Because the program sits in Amendment 98 of the state constitution, the legislature's power to reshape it is more limited than it would be with an ordinary statute.

The research gathered for Arkansas does not clearly establish the tax rate applied to medical cannabis purchases, so this page does not state one. The costs that are documented are on the registration side. The Arkansas Department of Health charges a nonrefundable $50 application fee for a registry card, and one clinic source reports that a small percentage surcharge is added to that fee, with a reduced rate for veterans and people receiving disability benefits. There is no adult-use excise tax because there is no adult-use market. A 2022 ballot initiative would have created a 10 percent tax on recreational sales, but voters rejected it. Patients should check the receipt at their dispensary or ask the Department of Finance and Administration for current sales tax treatment.

Arkansas does not license consumption lounges, and nothing in the research indicates that dispensaries may allow use on their premises. Medical patients are restricted to private use. Cannabis may not be used on school buses, school grounds, in correctional facilities, in licensed childcare residences, on public transportation, or in any public place where others could observe it. Adults also may not inhale herbal cannabis in the presence of a pregnant woman or a child aged 14 or younger. Employers are not required to accommodate use and may keep drug-free workplace policies, and employers can act against employees who show reasonable signs of impairment. Driving under the influence remains illegal for everyone, patients included.

Getting a card starts with a visit to a physician who can complete the state's written certification form confirming a qualifying diagnosis. The patient then applies to the Arkansas Department of Health, which prefers online submissions, attaching the certification, a copy of an Arkansas driver's license or state ID, and the nonrefundable $50 fee. The department says processing takes up to 14 days after a complete application and payment are received, and incomplete or incorrect submissions are sent back, which adds delay. No temporary card is issued while an application is pending. Once approved, patients can print their registry card online and begin buying from licensed dispensaries. The department reported more than 119,000 active patient cards in September 2026.

Arkansas limits medical cannabis to a defined list of conditions, and a physician must certify one of them. The list includes cachexia or wasting syndrome, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, hepatitis C, ALS, Tourette's syndrome, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, PTSD, severe arthritis, severe muscle spasms, seizures, Alzheimer's disease, peripheral neuropathy, and severe nausea. Intractable pain qualifies only when it has not responded to ordinary treatment for more than six months. The Arkansas Department of Health can add conditions; a petition must be backed by medical and scientific evidence and goes through a review period of about 120 days. Sources count the list differently, so the Department of Health's own list is the one to rely on.

The Arkansas Department of Health requires applicants to be at least 18, or to apply through a parent or guardian acting as caregiver if younger. Applicants must live in Arkansas and prove it with a state driver's license or ID, and must submit a written certification from a physician confirming a qualifying diagnosis. The physician must be licensed and hold a DEA controlled substances registration in good standing. The application fee is $50 and is not refunded if the application is denied. Members of the Arkansas National Guard and the U.S. military are barred from holding a registry card. Caregivers must be at least 21 and pass a criminal history check, which costs $37, although parents registering for their own minor child are exempt.

Arkansas registry cards are valid for up to one year from approval, and there is no automatic renewal. To keep a card active, the patient needs a fresh written certification from a physician and must resubmit it to the Arkansas Department of Health with the renewal fee. Clinic sources report that renewals can be filed up to 60 days before the current card expires, which helps avoid a gap in access, since the department does not issue temporary cards while it reviews an application. Processing follows the same timeline as a first application, up to about 14 days for a complete submission. Caregivers renew in step with the patient they are registered to.

The rules on telemedicine certifications in Arkansas are not settled by any official source in the research for this page, and the commercial sources disagree. Several clinics advertise telemedicine appointments for Arkansas certifications. One detailed guide, however, says an initial certification must come from an in-person visit and that telemedicine can only be used for renewals once a doctor-patient relationship already exists, citing Act 1112 of 2021. Given that conflict, patients should confirm with the certifying physician and the Arkansas Department of Health before relying on a remote visit for a first certification, because a certification the department rejects means starting the application again.

Arkansas does make room for patients from other states, but not automatically. The Arkansas Department of Health requires visiting patients to apply online for permission before buying at an Arkansas dispensary; a card from another state is not accepted at the counter on its own. One clinic source describes the resulting visiting patient card as valid for 90 days. The research does not detail the fee or the documents needed for a visitor application, so those should be confirmed with the department. Arkansas cardholders travelling elsewhere depend entirely on the rules of the state they are visiting, and possession across state lines remains illegal under federal law.