AR HB1816

Amends the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2016 to require the Medical Marijuana Commission to consider racial and gender diversity in ownership when issuing licenses for dispensaries and cultivation facilities.

Requires the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Governor to consider diversity when appointing the five members of the Medical Marijuana Commission (2 members each from Senate and House leadership, 1 from Governor).

Establishes that initial commission members shall be appointed within 30 days of the effective date, with the first meeting to occur within 45 days, and members serve four-year terms with staggered initial appointments.

Commission members must be U.S. citizens, Arkansas residents for at least 10 years, qualified electors, at least 25 years old, and have no economic interest in any dispensary or cultivation facility.

Requires the Medical Marijuana Commission to comply with the Minority Business Economic Development Act and the Arkansas Procurement Law.