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Arkansas Medical Marijuana Association Names Board Chair

2 min read

The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Association on Monday named Dr. Regina Thurman of Fayetteville chairman of its board of directors. 

Thurman is medical director for Optimal Pain & Wellness in Fayetteville. She specializes in using comprehensive approaches for the treatment of pain.

The association is a trade group for the state’s medical marijuana industry. The board was established last November, the day after Arkansas voters passed a new constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana.

“I am eager to begin working with Arkansas’ premier medical marijuana industry group to help better educate physicians and medical professionals throughout the state about regulations, policies and best practices for safe medical marijuana use,” Thurman said in a news release.

Thurman is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and received her medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

David Couch, a board member and acting executive director of the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Association, said that with Thurman on board, the association has board members “who have backgrounds in medicine, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and law, and board members who have specific experience within the medical cannabis industry in other states. 

“This diverse group of experts will help us implement and influence policy for the betterment of cultivators, distributors and other businesses connected with the industry,” Couch said.

The news comes almost two weeks after the association released a list of members that included Dr. Steven Cathey, a neurosurgeon and chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board. The association identified Cathey as its chairman.

Later that week, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he didn’t think Cathey should be part of the association while also serving on the medical board. Cathey later said through a spokesman that he would not join the association because it would constitute a conflict of interest.

Applications for membership to the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Association will soon be available on the association’s website, ARMedicalMarijuana.org.

Full membership is open to cultivators and distributors, while affiliate memberships are available to all corporations and businesses related to the medical marijuana industry. The state received its first dispensary application this week. 

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