RELEAF ARRIVES: The ReLeaf Center in Bentonville is opening on Wednesday, and it will be the first dispensary to open in Northwest Arkansas.

RELEAF ARRIVES: The ReLeaf Center in Bentonville is opening on Wednesday, and it will be the first dispensary to open in Northwest Arkansas. Roger Song

Roger Song

Northwest Arkansas’s first dispensary is set to open on Wednesday. The ReLeaf Center in Bentonville received final approval from the state Medical Marijuana Commission on Tuesday, and after a soft opening at noon on Wednesday, the dispensary will have a grand opening on Friday, Aug. 9 at noon.

The ReLeaf Center is opening in the former Big Red Gallery & Gifts building at 9400 E. McNelly Road. Its website lists its hours as 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m Sunday. Visitors will be required to show their state Medical Marijuana ID card as well as another form of government issued identification.

The ReLeaf Center is also a “grow” dispensary, and owner Roger Song told the Times in February that it plans to sell marijuana grown in-house to its patients, along with cannabis from the state’s five licensed cultivators.

In a report from 5 News, Alcohol Beverage Control spokesmanScott Hardin said the openings of the Releaf Center and the AMS Patient Center dispensary — also located in Bentonville — were delayed due to a glitch in the tracking software that connects with the state’s product database, which is called ARSTEMS (Arkansas State Traceability Enforcement Monitoring System).


The AMS Patient Center is opening in renovated former liquor store at 406 Razorback Drive. Hardin told 5 News that AMS Patient Center could open later this week.