The first legal medical cannabis sales began in Arkansas in May 2019. Since that time, licensed medical cannabis dispensaries in Arkansas have sold a considerable amount of products, making the Arkansas medical cannabis industry a regional powerhouse.
According to recent data published by the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, the state’s regulated dispensaries sold over $144 million worth of medical cannabis products in the first half of 2025.
“Arkansas’ 37 licensed medical marijuana dispensaries sold $144.217 million in the first six months of 2025, up 6.4% compared with sales with the same period of 2024, according to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA).” stated Talk Business & Politics in its local coverage.
“This is an increase of approximately $8.7 million from the same period in 2024,” noted the report from DFA spokesman Scott Hardin, according to the media outlet’s reporting. “Overall pounds sold in 2025 total 38,793, an increase of 2,658 pounds from year to year.”
Below is a breakdown of total medical cannabis sales in Arkansas by year:
- 2024: $275.9 million
- 2023: $283 million
- 2022: $276.3 million
- 2021: $264.9 million
- 2020: $181.8 million
- 2019: $31.32 million
It will be interesting to see if the recent ban on intoxicating hemp-derived products in Arkansas will impact medical cannabis sales. Presumably, some of the suffering patients in Arkansas have opted to purchase hemp-derived products in recent years instead of jumping through all of the hoops to become a registered medical cannabis patient.
Hemp-derived products were widely available in Arkansas until last month, when a ban on such products took effect. The ban is part of an increasing public policy trend across the United States, with many state governments having taken action against hemp-derived product commerce in the last year.
“Continued sale, production, or possession of products containing these substances is illegal and all products must be immediately removed from your stock.” the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration stated in a letter to hemp product retailers in late June.
“If you have any products containing any of the intoxicating substances classified as a Schedule VI controlled substance listed herein for sale in your business, you must immediately remove them from your stock. The continued sale, production, or possession of products containing any of these substances is illegal and may subject you to criminal penalties including incarceration, as well as potential regulatory penalties or sanctions.” the letter also stated.