© Scott Liles/The Baxter Bulletin Patients line up waiting for Plant Family Therapeutics to open on Monday morning. The marijuana dispensary is now open to the public.

With a line of patients stretching out into the parking lot, Mountain Home’s local marijuana dispensary opened its doors to the public Monday.

About 30 people lined up for the opening of Plant Family Therapeutics, located at 5172 U.S. Highway 62 between Mountain Home and Henderson. The state’s newest marijuana dispensary held an invitation-only soft opening Saturday, with Monday being its first day open to the public.

Arkansas is the 33rd state to implement a medical-marijuana program. Voters legalized the drug for medical use by approving Amendment 98 to the Arkansas Constitution in November 2016.

That amendment allows patients 21 and older suffering from one of 18 qualifying medical conditions to purchase marijuana from 32 state-licensed dispensaries located around the state, the first of which opened last year.

© Scott Liles/The Baxter Bulletin Jeff McAnally, one of the co-owners of Plant Family Therapeutics, talks to would-be customers waiting in line for the marijuana dispensary to open Monday morning.

Plant Family Therapeutics offered Monday’s patients 30 different strains of cannabis and 15 different strands in concentrated forms. It also offers oral sprays, lozenges, pills, oils and vape pens, plus a full selection of CBD products.

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Patients on Monday could choose from 30 strains of the marijuana at $40 for 3.5 grams (an eighth of an ounce) or $235 an ounce. Those prices will continue through Friday, the dispensary said Sunday on social media.

The dispensary’s regular operating hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. Its phone number is (870) 709-0800 and its website is plant-family.com.

Grand opening 'went really smooth'

The first dozen patients in line Monday morning were admitted to the dispensary’s waiting room just before 9 a.m. Once called back from the waiting area, a patient care representative helped answer questions and determine what items the patient wished to purchase.

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The dispensary wants to keep a 1:1 ratio of patients to patient care representatives inside the building, which limits the number of patients that can be admitted at any given time.

Clint Mickle, one of the co-owners of Plant Family Therapeutics, said he expected the dispensary to see several hundred patients on its opening day. Once the initial rush dies down, he said, the expectation is that they will treat 50 to 60 patients a day with no one having to wait in line outside.

“We’ve had a good day so far,” Mickle said mid-morning while answering questions of would-be patients and handing out preregistration forms to those waiting in line. “We’ve had a couple of little things not go as planned, but we’re happy with things.”

Robert Mentzer of Mountain Home said he arrived at the dispensary at 7 a.m. The first patient through the door, he exited the dispensary at 9:45 a.m.

“Everything went really smooth. Everyone was really knowledgeable and friendly,” he said. “The only downfall was that we had to wait for the computers to warm up and get going.”

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One of the dispensary’s registers was not operable for a brief time Monday morning, but staff members had the device back up and running before 10 a.m.

“They said I was good luck, once I got there the machine started working again,” said James Smith of Mountain Home, who exited the dispensary at 9:50 a.m. “They are awesome in there. They all seemed to be so caring and wanting to help.”

© Scott Liles/The Baxter Bulletin Plant Family Therapeutics, located at 5172 Highway 62 between Mountain Home and Henderson, is now officially open. The marijuana dispensary held an invitation-only soft opening Saturday and a public grand opening Monday.

Plant Family Therapeutics wants to 'educate'

Patients visiting Plant Family Therapeutics have the option to consult with an on-site registered nurse about what cannabis products might work best for their ailments.

“By and large, what we want to do is educate people,” said Plant Family Therapeutics co-owner Jeff McAnally. “Ideally, you should be able to come here, learn about different options and choices and then go from there.”

The dispensary also has plans for a future education room that the public can visit to learn more about medical marijuana.

“If people are nervous, hopefully they can come here, and we can make them feel at ease,” McAnally said.

The dispensary is also licensed to grow a limited amount of marijuana — up to 50 adult plants — on site. It plans to begin its greenhouse operation soon, officials said.

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The Arkansas Department of Health began issuing medical marijuana identification cards, which are required to purchase cannabis, in February 2019. It has issued 36.630 marijuana ID cards as of Jan. 31, the department said.

Applicants must pay a $50 yearly registration fee, provide a copy of a valid Arkansas driver’s license or other state-issued ID and obtain a written certification from a physician that the patient has one of 18 qualifying medical conditions.

Those conditions include cancer; glaucoma; HIV/AIDS; hepatitis C; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Tourette's syndrome; Crohn's disease; ulcerative colitis; post-traumatic stress disorder; severe arthritis; fibromyalgia; Alzheimer's disease; cachexia; peripheral neuropathy; intractable pain; severe nausea; seizures; or muscle spasms.

This article originally appeared on Baxter Bulletin: Mountain Home’s local marijuana dispensary Plant Family Therapeutics opens its doors