Arkansas
Arkansas medical marijuana sales up more than 6% through May – Talk Business & Politics
Arkansas medical marijuana sales in the first five months of 2025 totaled $121.024 million, up 6.3% compared with the same period in 2024. Overall pounds sold in the first five months was 32,474, above the 30,000 in the same period of 2024.
Medical marijuana sales totaled $275.9 million in 2024, just below the record of $283 million in 2023.
“Tax revenue from medical marijuana is averaging $2.68 million a month in 2025, also an increase over last year,” Scott Hardin, spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), said in a statement. “With daily medical marijuana sales averaging $806,000, we are on track to surpass the 2023 sales record of $283 million.”
Following are the top five dispensaries, among the state’s 37 licensed dispensaries, for pounds sold in May.
Suite 443 (Hot Springs): 692.98 pounds
Natural Relief (Sherwood): 626.54
Harvest (Conway): 422.78
CROP (Jonesboro): 401.24
Custom Cannabis (Alexander): 363.13
The Arkansas Department of Health reported 109,854 active patient cards, up 12.8% compared with the 97,374 to begin 2024.
Following are the annual sales since 2019 when medical marijuana sales began in Arkansas.
2024: $275.9 million
2023: $283 million
2022: $276.3 million
2021: $264.9 million
2020: $181.8 million
2019: $31.32 million
The constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana for 17 qualifying conditions and creating a state medical marijuana commission was approved by Arkansas voters 53% to 47% in November 2016.
Taxes collected are 6.5% of regular state sales tax with each purchase by a patient and a 4% privilege tax on sales from cultivators to dispensaries. Most of the tax revenue is placed in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences National Cancer Designation Trust Fund. The state also collects a cultivator privilege tax, which means tax revenue is not always tied to how much product is bought by consumers at dispensaries and the price for the product sold to dispensary customers.
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Arkansas
Arkansas High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – Oct. 28
The Arkansas high school football high school football season is nearing its end and the Bryant Hornets remain in the top spot Top 25 rankings.
Besides the Hornets, who else makes the cut for the Top 25 high school football teams list out of Arkansas?
From established powers to emerging programs, here are the top 25 teams in the Natural State, according to Massey.
The Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory as of Oct. 28.
1. Bryant Hornets
Bryant (8-0) has maintained the top spot in the Arkansas high school football rankings throughout the season as the head to the regular season finish line. Hornets up next will face North Little Rock (3-5) this Friday night.
The Hornets most recent win was a 49-3 decision over Cabot as they have two games remaining.
All the question marks on offense have been checked off as the Hornets have begun a new era behind center with Kyler Shelby, who saw limited game action in 2024 as a sophomore last season while playing behind Jordan Walker.
2. Bentonville Tigers
Bentonville (9-0) is coming off a tight victory over No. 4 Rogers, with the Tigers winning 31-28.
The 5-time state champion Tigers are coming off a 9-4 campaign and needing to replace plenty of starters on both sides of the ball. Bentonville is armed with a pair of Arkansas commitments in four-star wide receiver Dequane Prevo and three-star Blair Irvin.
The Tigers finish the regular season with games against Springdale and Bentonville West.
3. Greenwood Bulldogs
Greenwood Bulldogs (8-0) having the state’s best quarterback in Kane Archer certainly helps and the Bulldogs boasting the UCF commit behind center makes them dangerous every Friday night on offense.
Archer has made the argument to being the state’s Most Valuable Player as the senior signal caller, with the future Knight completing 172 of 227 passes for 2,141 yards and 18 touchdowns.
The Bulldogs finishes off the season with Southside and No. 11 Mountain Home.
4. Rogers Mountaineers
The Rogers Mountaineers (7-1) are coming off a narrow 31-28 loss to Bentonville last week, but remain in the Top 5 of this week’s rankings.
The Mountaineers’ defense has been solid all season long behind the play of BYU commitment Braxton Lindsey, who leads a defensive unit that’s only yielded. Rogers closes out the regular season with games against Har-Ber and Rogers Heritage.
5. Conway Wampus Cats
Conway (7-1) started the season off with an offensive explosion as they defeated Jonesboro in a 68-37 shootout.
The Wampus Cats feature a couple of the state’s top players in three-star safety Tay Lockett (Arkansas commit) and interior offensive lineman Isaiah Bowman (Arkansas State commit). Lockett is already making an impact on both sides of the ball as Conway has become a viable state title contender.
Last week, Conway won another offensive shootout, 61-38, over Pulaski Academy. This Friday night the Wampus Cats take on Little Rock Christian Academy.
6. Benton (6-2)
7. Shiloh Christian (7-2)
8. Bentonville West (6-2)
9. Joe T. Robinson (8-0)
10. Fayetteville (4-4)
11. Mountain Home (7-1)
12. Little Rock Christian Academy (6-2)
13. Parkview Magnet (5-3)
14. Greenbrier (8-0)
15. Lakeside (7-1)
16. Arkadelphia (7-1)
17. Sylvan Hills (7-1)
18. Pulaski Academy (2-6)
19. Hot Springs (7-1)
20. Jonesboro (4-4)
21. El Dorado (5-3)
22. Farmington (6-2)
23. Searcy (7-1)
24. Har-Ber (3-5)
25. North Little Rock (3-5)
For Arkansas high school football fans, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the state, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the gridiron excitement in the Natural State.
Arkansas
Arkansas Foodbank bracing for disruption in SNAP benefits
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The ongoing federal government shutdown is impacting funding for programs like SNAP, and organizations like the Arkansas Foodbank are preparing for a surge in those needing support.
“SNAP is a critical program that helps ensure families all across our state have access to nutritious foods, and even a brief disruption is problematic,” DHS Secretary Janet Mann said in a statement. “Arkansans have a history of coming together to help each other in difficult times. Please check on friends, family, and neighbors and donate time or money to food banks if you are able.”
The Arkansas Foodbank supports 400 partner pantries from urban centers to rural towns. Marketing and Communications Director Sarah Jenkins said they’re rolling out toolkits to help them meet the surge, everything from extra fundraising to extended distribution hours.
“If we made everyone come to Little Rock to go to a mobile distribution, we wouldn’t be able to meet the need, that’s why we’re pushing everyone out to our 400 partner agencies,” Jenkins said.
The Arkansas DHS said it is awaiting additional guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers SNAP. The USDA announced it will not issue November benefits unless the federal government reopens, after the Trump administration declined to release $5 billion in contingency funds that would have extended the program.
SNAP, which helps one in eight Americans buy groceries, is a lifeline that also extends to the 240,000 recipients across Arkansas, where food insecurity is among the worst in the nation.
“For every one meal that we can provide, SNAP provides nine,” Jenkins said. SNAP is also great because it provides dignity to the people using it.”
The organization says it’s ready for the short term, but cannot fill the federal gap alone for a state where one in four children does not have reliable access to food.
“We do have to have both community support but also government support,” Jenkins said. “The government has to reopen to support the neighbors that we serve, so we don’t have a timeline on what we can do.”
Last year, the food bank distributed more than 41 million pounds of food, but with SNAP halted, they say every donation counts.
For updates, Arkansans can visit the DHS SNAP website at HumanServices.Arkansas.gov.
Arkansas
Arkansas educators report more engagement, less bullying after schools go phone-free | Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Dmitry Martirosov
Dmitry Martirosov is a reporter covering K-12 education for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He writes about the issues affecting students, teachers and families and has a particular interest in transparency, as well as the day-to-day political battles over education. Before joining the Democrat-Gazette, he covered government and politics in Charlottesville, Virginia, and was a political reporter based in Columbia, Missouri, where he covered the state legislature in Jefferson City. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri, where he studied journalism and political science.
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