The storms that blew a path through Northwest Arkansas this week left The Source dispensary without power for days and hurled the dispensary’s grow operations into regulatory uncertainty.
Without its normal lights that regulate the plants’ growth cycles, the dispensary’s immature plants could produce flowers before they’re scheduled. That would likely place the dispensary above the state’s limit of 50 mature plants that dispensaries can grow at a time.
The dispensary has so far not found any immature plants that have begun to flower, but will need to continue evaluating over the next week, according to staff.
Scott Hardin, spokesman for the Alcoholic Beverage Control, which regulates the state medical marijuana industry, said the issue is unprecedented and that ABC would not require the dispensary to chop down plants to stay under the 50-plant limit.
“ABC would not issue violations for a scenario the dispensary is facing as a result of weather damage and loss of power,” he said.
A batch of storms including tornadoes tore through Northwest Arkansas in the early morning hours Sunday, leaving The Source with minor structural damage and no electricity. The store regained power today.
Plants that have not yet flowered are on a cycle that includes 18 hours of light a day, which tells the plants to grow taller but not to flower. When the dispensary wants the plants the flower, they give them less light, as they would get outdoors in the fall. This reduction of light tells them to flower.
The Source staff attempted to stave off the flowering problem by using generators, but their machines were too small to power the store’s large grow lights. The generators were, however, strong enough to power small lights loaned by friends and medical marijuana patients.
The power outage also took out the grow operation’s HVAC system that controls air quality and humidity. The plants are typically given a continuous cycle of clean air, but sat in warm and humid air this week.
Amanda Strickland, chief operations officer, said the flowering plants will likely go to extraction next rather than be sold as flower. The plants that have not yet flowered will hopefully eventually be sold as flower and will be known as the dispensary’s “tornado harvest,” she said.
The ReLeaf Center Dispensary and Farm, located in Bentonville and the only other dispensary in Benton County, did not sustain significant storm damage and did not lose power, according to chief operating officer Matt Shansky.