Speakeasy Dispensary Relocates Pine Bluff License to Ward, Opens Aug. 20

The medical cannabis retailer is moving a state-approved license from Pine Bluff to Ward, aiming to expand access to a part of central Arkansas it says has been underserved.

FILE — retail · My 420 Tours / CC BY-SA 4.0

Speakeasy Dispensary will open a new medical cannabis retail location in Ward, Arkansas on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 9 a.m., according to a company announcement distributed via PR Newswire.

A Relocated License

The Ward store, at 11618 N. Newberry Drive, represents a relocation of Speakeasy's former Pine Bluff dispensary rather than a brand-new license, the company said. According to the release, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission approved the move in October 2024 after residents and community leaders in the area voiced support.

Speakeasy CEO Casey Flippo framed the opening as the culmination of a long-running effort. "Opening in Ward has been something we've worked toward for a long time, and we're excited to finally welcome patients through the doors," Flippo said in the release. "This move gives us the opportunity to serve an area where patients have had fewer convenient options close to home. We're grateful for the support we've received from the community and look forward to becoming part of it."

What's on the Menu

The Ward location will carry flower, vapes, concentrates and edibles sourced from Arkansas cultivators and processors, per the company. Store hours will run Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., the release states. Speakeasy also said it is organizing low-cost patient drives in nearby communities to connect new and renewing patients with licensed medical providers, with additional events planned in September.

Company's Broader Footprint

The PR Newswire release notes Speakeasy has recently opened other dispensaries outside Arkansas, including locations in Stanford and Corbin, Kentucky, suggesting the company has been expanding across multiple state medical markets in recent months. Our database does not contain a matching entry for Speakeasy in official Arkansas license records, so the relocation's status could not be independently verified beyond the company's own account and its reference to Medical Marijuana Commission approval.

Sales Backdrop

The Ward opening comes as Arkansas's medical marijuana market shows mixed signals. Statewide sales totaled $24.79 million in July, according to Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration figures reported by K8 News, with Jonesboro's CROP Dispensary accounting for 5.22% of that total and ranking third in the state. That followed a report from Talk Business & Politics, included in our related coverage, indicating sales were down through June compared with earlier in the year — a trend that makes it unclear whether new store openings like Speakeasy's Ward location will meaningfully shift statewide totals or simply redistribute existing patient spending toward central Arkansas.

Regulatory Context

The Ward opening also arrives amid a period of regulatory flux for Arkansas cannabis operators. Our related coverage shows the state renewed nearly all cannabis licenses in May, delaying only five over paperwork issues, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Separately, the Arkansas Attorney General certified a law restricting hemp-derived THC products in April, per Marijuana Moment, and multiple outlets — including the Democrat-Gazette and 5newsonline.com — have covered federal reclassification of state-licensed medical marijuana and its potential effects on state businesses. A January report from the Arkansas Advocate also noted a court ruling had created uncertainty for the state's medical marijuana program, though the release announcing the Ward store does not reference any of these developments directly.

What to Watch

Whether the Ward location drives new patient registrations or simply shifts existing demand from Pine Bluff remains to be seen; Speakeasy's own materials frame the move as expanding access rather than growing net licensed capacity. State sales data for August, when it becomes available, would offer an early indicator of whether the relocation registers in central Arkansas's cannabis retail figures, though any effect would likely take several months to distinguish from broader market trends already flagged by Talk Business & Politics.