The state Alcoholic Beverage Control Division revoked the license of dispensary Green Springs Medical of Hot Springs today after a series of violations that included the selling of more than 1,800 expired products, the ABC said in a statement.
The decision by state regulators marked the first time the ABC has revoked a medical marijuana permit since the industry launched in 2019.
The revocation, detailed in this letter from ABC, was the result of ongoing violations, including an undercover purchase of expired products made by ABC enforcement agents in October. The purchase followed a verbal warning, according to the statement from ABC.
Scott Hardin, a spokesman for ABC, said the dispensary has indicated it will appeal the decision, which immediately stays the revocation until the ABC board holds a hearing on the case. Hardin said the matter was likely to be heard at the ABC’s June meeting. A decision by ABC board can be further appealed to circuit court.
With the decision stayed, the Green Springs can remain open until the ABC rules on the case. A person who answered the phone at the dispensary this afternoon said it is still open.
Vicentic did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Green Springs has previously received violations for failure to maintain clean and sanitary processing areas, failure to maintain inventory information, failure to certify scales, failure to maintain accurate personnel records, failure to maintain video surveillance, improper signage and a lack of commercial grade locks, according to the press release from ABC today.
Trent Minner, who heads up the Department of Finance and Administration’s Regulatory Division, which includes ABC, described Green Springs’ actions as a “pattern of noncompliance.”
“A license to operate in the medical marijuana industry in Arkansas is a privilege not to be taken lightly,” Minner said. “When state law is consistently disregarded, ABC has a duty to revoke the license.”
Owned by Dragan Vicentic, Green Springs opened on May 12, 2019. It was the state’s second dispensary to open. According to the latest sales report from the state, Green Springs sold 228 pounds of marijuana products in February and 229 in March.
Vicentic has tangled with other members of the state medical marijuana industry, alleging that some cultivators were colluding to put him out of business. From 2019 to 2021, he was involved in a legal battle with Bruce Simpson, his partner at the time in Green Springs. A circuit court found Simpson owned half of the business, and the state Court of Appeals upheld that ruling. Simpson and Vicentic later reached an undisclosed settlement that resulted in Vicentic owning 100% of the business.