Photo: Courtesy, Acanza Health Group

The first medical marijuana dispensary in the city of Fayetteville opened this month.

Acanza Health Group officially opened their facility at 2733 N. McConnell Avenue on Saturday Sept. 14, in a space just off I-49 not far from Washington County Fairgrounds.

Michael Mayes, a spokesperson for Acanza, said the group chose to locate in Fayetteville for a variety of reasons.

“We decided to select Fayetteville due to the access to the patient population,” Mayes said. “We feel that we can make the most significant difference to the patient population in Fayetteville. In a 5 miles radius, there are over 100,000 people this equates to 2,000 patients. Our location is effortless to access off of I-49, 81,000 vehicles pass the site in a day.”

Mayes told us over the summer that Acanza will offer “all products within the acceptable list” determined by the state of Arkansas. The plan is to eventually include on-site cultivation at the facility.

“If we do not produce it ourselves, we will wholesale purchase from other producers. We want to give our patients the most comprehensive selection possible to combat their ailments and conditions,” Mayes said. “Our focus revolves around chronic pain and reduction of opioid withdrawal symptoms but will have an arsenal of products to help the patient population with other conditions.”

Acanza offers marijuana in traditional smokable forms, as well as in the form of edibles and oils.

The facility is open Sunday-Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., and Thursday-Sunday from 10 a.m. until 9 a.m.

A second medical marijuana dispensary, operated by Northwest Arkansas Medical Cannabis Group, is planned at 3390 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Fayetteville. Jonesboro attorney Don Parker II, one of the owners of the second dispensary, told us over the summer he hopes to have that facility up and running sometime this fall.