Arkansas: Medical Cannabis Advocates Near Signature Goal to Place Initiative on November Ballot
Arkansans for Compassionate Care has announced that they’ve collected over 61,000 signatures on their initiative to legalize medical cannabis, less than 7,000 signatures shy of the 67,887 needed to place the measure on the 2016 general election ballot (though the group is aiming for 100,000 to account for any invalid signatures).
If the group is successful in placing the initiative on the ballot, and voters pass it into law, it will be legal for those with a recommendation from a physician to possess and use cannabis for medical purposes, while being authorized to purchase it from licensed dispensaries. Those who live over 20 miles from a dispensary will be allowed to cultivate up to five plants.
Arkansas for Compassionate Care is the group behind a 2012 medical cannabis legalization initiative that was defeated by less than 3% (ending with 48.56% of the vote) in the general election.
According to polling conducted by Talk Business & Politics/Hendrix College/Impact Management Group – which was released in September – 84% of voters in Arkansas support legalizing medical cannabis.
