Previously known as “Harvest of Little Rock AR,” Little Rock medical marijuana dispensary was ordered by a Faulkner County judge to change its name after a dispensary in Conway filed a lawsuit due to their names being too alike.

The plaintiff, Conway’s Harvest Cannabis Dispensary, stated that Little Rock’s Harvest House of Cannabis “bull[ied]” their way into using the name Harvest. The Conway dispensary was thrilled at the judge’s decision. Harvest Cannabis Dispensary’s CEO, Elizabeth Barnett, said of the ruling, “We have been open and honest about our intentions and branding since September 2017, when we first came up with the name around the breakfast table and sought a license from the state.” They opened their dispensary in October and operated under the name “Harvest” ever since.

With regard to the Little Rock HOC dispensary, no comment had been provided at the time this article was published. Harvest Enterprises Inc., an Arizona based cannabis business that oversees the dispensary in Little Rock, has locations in Arizona as well as in other parts across the country; at these locations, they used the name “Harvest” to brand their products.

Though their Little Rock dispensary was originally known as the Natural State Wellness Dispensary and was the first to open in Little Rock, its name change of Harvest House of Cannabis was too close to the Harvest Cannabis Dispensary, which opened four months prior to the dispensary in Little Rock. They argued that because they used the name “Harvest” out of state, they should be able to use it here as well.

Judge Susan Weaver of the Faulkner County Circuit Courts didn’t see from their perspective. She ruled in favor of the Conway dispensary in spite of the Little Rock dispensary’s defense. She stated that with regard to dispensaries in Arkansas, Harvest Cannabis Dispensary had exclusive rights to the name, “Harvest.” The Little Rock dispensary stated that the Conway dispensary was ignoring the fact that their company had always used the name “Harvest” in other locations outside of the state and that their customer base was already accustomed to their branding. They denied claims that they were engaging in bullying to keep use of their name.

Nevertheless, Judge Weaver ordered an immediate cease of using the name “Harvest” in association with the Little Rock dispensary and all of their advertisements within the state, including but not limited to the removal or re-branding of any permanent signage associated with the dispensary in Arkansas.

As a result of Covid-19 restrictions put in place to keep all involved parties at a safe distance from one another, the decision was passed on to the involved parties virtually. After two days of deliberation, the Conway dispensary was able to maintain use of the name “Harvest.” The Little Rock dispensary has yet to provide a comment as to their future re-branding in the state of Arkansas.  If you are in Arizona make sure to use our AZ MMJ allotment checker.