A long-running dispute over one of Arkansas’ medical marijuana cultivation permits is escalating after a second court found regulators improperly awarded one of the licenses.

At issue is the license awarded to Fort Smith, Arkansas-based River Valley Relief, one of eight cannabis cultivators licensed by the state.

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On Dec. 30, a Pulaski County Circuit judge ruled that state regulators issued River Valley Relief and its principal, Bennett “Storm” Nolan, a permit despite the fact his application was “fatally flawed.”

It’s the second ruling against Nolan and River Valley following a 2022 decision that also found regulators acted improperly when they “unlawfully” awarded Nolan’s business a permit.

The original suit was filed by 2600 Holdings, which does business as Southern Roots Cultivation and unsuccessfully

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Instead of putting the finishing touches on their businesses in anticipation of Minnesota’s adult-use market launch early this year, cannabis license applicants instead face delays and uncertainty.

But if entrepreneurs’ patience and capital lasts long enough to win a license and hold on until Minnesota’s recreational cannabis launch – now projected for early 2026 – their reward will be a robust market brimming with opportunity and innovation, according to observers of the state’s regulated marijuana market.

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“I think that we still have a really robust local industry,” said attorney Leili Fatehi, principal at Blunt Strategies, a Minnesota cannabis consulting firm.

“We have a lot of alignment of purpose and values with the regulators as well as with the legislators.

“There is a common

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(This story first appeared in the November-December issue of MJBizMagazine.)

California cannabis brand Breez has stayed true to its core mission of providing access to medical marijuana patients and recreational consumers since it was established in 2015.

That ethos led Austin and Anna Hice, the brand’s husband-and-wife management team, to develop THC-infused tablets and mints in a widely recognized form factor.

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It also prompted the co-founders to launch direct-to-consumer delivery – particularly targeting the state’s vast cannabis deserts, where cities and counties still prohibit marijuana operations nearly eight years after voters legalized MJ cultivation and retail sales.

“It’s all about accessibility,” Austin Hice told MJBizMagazine during a phone interview.

Demand for delivery

Though about 95% of Breez products are sold through retail, delivery

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