Another medical marijuana dispensary is set for Texarkana, despite howls of protest from officials in Hempstead and Nevada counties.
Wednesday night, the Medical Marijuana Commission approved relocating a proposed dispensary in Prescott, Ark., to 4423 E. Broad St. in Texarkana, Ark.
Google Map indicates that address is the property where the Electric Cowboy, a sprawling nightclub that for years was located on the outskirts of town, past Texarkana Regional Airport on U.S. Highway 67, once thrived. It closed in 2016 after a 20 year run.
The city of Prescott opposed the move, as did several officials from the nearby region.
A video of the meeting can be seen on the MMC's Facebook page.
A representative from RX Med Inc., Ross Mash, told commission members the company looked at 15 different sites in Prescott before picking the Texarkana location. He said because location restrictions, including locating near churches, schools and day care centers, they had to look elsewhere.
The new Texarkana location is about 50 miles southwest of Prescott.
In March, Prescott officials, including Mayor Terry Oliver, took exception to the then-proposed move, saying it represented a loss of economic opportunity and new jobs.
Oliver reiterated that position Friday morning.
"Prescott is being used and abused in the whole thing," he said. "Texarkana is a more profitable location. Basically it's a done deal. There is no appeal available."
Prescott has about 3.000 residents, Oliver said, while the combined Texarkanas have more like 60,000.
At the March 4 meeting, Mary Godwin, Prescott's economic development director, told the commission, "We wanted it for the jobs, even if it is just five or six." she said, according to reporting done by KUAR, a National Public Radio affiliate in Little Rock. "In a community of 3,200 in rural Southwest Arkansas that makes a big difference. I know big places like Little Rock and Fayetteville would probably just sneeze at five or six jobs, but not our community."
An RX Med representative said Wednesday that the owner of the property identified in the initial application raised the price on them.
It was suggested that others who had suitable property tried to leverage the company, as well, because of the lack of options it seemed to have.
The Texarkana site if fairly isolated.
(Texarkana Gazette reporter Jim Williamson contributed to this report.)