arkansas medical cannabis Archives

Arkansas Bill Amending Medical Cannabis Law Sent to Governor

March 27, 2017 by Anthony Martinelli

Legislation that amends Arkansas’ medical cannabis law has been passed through the state’s legislature and sent to Governor Asa Hutchinson for consideration.

House Bill 1400 was passed by the House of Representatives on March 17th with a unanimous 88 to 0 vote; six days later it was passed by the Senate 31 to 1. Today the measure was “Correctly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor’s Office.”

The proposed law would amend the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2016 to prohibit smoking of marijuana:

Arkansas Senate Rejects Measure to Ban Smoking of Medical Cannabis

March 13, 2017 by Anthony Martinelli

An effort by Arkansas lawmakers to undermine a voter-approved initiative that legalizes medical cannabis has failed in the Senate.

In November Arkansas voters approved Issue 6 with 53% voting in favor. The constitutional amendment legalizes the possession and use of medical cannabis, including a system of licensed dispensaries. Today the Senate voted 15 to 11 to reject Senate Bill 357, a measure filed by Representative Jason Rapert (D) that would have made changes to this law, banning the actual smoking of medical cannabis. This is the second time this year the Senate has rejected such a measure.

A motion that would have allowed the bill to come up again at a later time failed unanimously, 11 to 0. This thankfully puts the bill to rest, at least for the time being.

Arkansas’ Initiative 6 to Legalize Medical Cannabis Approved by Voters

November 8, 2016November 8, 2016 by Anthony Martinelli

Arkansas Voters Have Passed Initiative 6 to Legalize Medical Cannabis

Initiative 6 was passed handily by voters. The measure legalizes the medical possession and use of cannabis, including a system of dispensaries.

Under the approved law, those who receive a recommendation will be authorized to use and possess medical cannabis so long as they register with the state. The measure establishes a system of licensed and regulated dispensaries and cultivation centers.

Arkansas Court Removes Medical Cannabis Legalization Initiative from November Ballot

October 27, 2016 by Anthony Martinelli

By Reuters

The Arkansas Supreme Court struck down on Thursday one of two proposals in the November election to allow for the use of medical marijuana in the state, saying the proposal did not receive the required number of signatures to be on the ballot.

Voters in the Nov. 8 election in Arkansas will still be able to vote on a separate measure that would allow for the regulated use of marijuana for certain medical conditions, where a state commission oversees plant growth and marijuana distribution.

Medical Cannabis Legalization Initiative Placed on November Ballot in Arkansas

July 7, 2016July 7, 2016 by Anthony Martinelli

An initiative to legalize the medical use and distribution of cannabis will appear on this November’s ballot in Arkansas, according to Secretary of State Mark Martin.

According to Martin, Arkansas for Compassionate Care (ACC) submitted well more than 77,516 valid signatures, the number required to put their initiative to a vote of the people. ACC is the group behind a 2012’s Issue 5, a medical cannabis legalization initiative that was narrowly defeated in the general election, receiving 48.56% of the vote.

AR: Enough Signatures Submitted to Put Medical Cannabis Legalization on November Ballot

June 21, 2016June 20, 2016 by Anthony Martinelli

Arkansans for Compassionate Care, a group working to place an initiative to legalize medical cannabis on this November’s ballot in Arkansas, has announced that they’ve submitted over 110,000 signatures to do just that. This is well more than the 67,887 required to put the measure to a vote, though it won’t be officially place on the ballot until the state verifies that enough of the signatures are valid (from registered Arkansas voters).

“Over the past two years, we’ve talked to tens of thousands of voters across the state,” says Campaign Director Melissa Fults. “Most Arkansans agree it is time to give sick and dying patients safe and legal access to medical cannabis when their doctors think it’s the best treatment option for them, and they will have the opportunity to do it this November.”

Arkansas Advocates on Track to Place Medical Cannabis Legalization Initiative on November Ballot

March 20, 2016 by Anthony Martinelli

Arkansans for Compassionate Care has collected over 68,000 signatures on an initiative to legalize medical cannabis in Arkansas. Although this is more than the 67,887 needed to qualify for this November’s general election ballot, the group is continuing to collect signatures until they reach 100,000, as some of their current signatures may be invalid (from someone who’s not a registered Arkansas voter, or any duplicate signature).

The group’s initiative would legalize the medical use of cannabis for those who receive a recommendation from a physician. State-licensed cultivation centers and retail dispensaries will provide patients with a means of safe access to their medicine, and those who live over 20 miles from a dispensary will be allowed to cultivate up to five plants.

Poll: 84% of Arkansas Voters Support Legalizing Medical Cannabis

September 9, 2015 by Anthony Martinelli

A vast majority of voters in Arkansas support legalizing the medical use of cannabis, according to a new Talk Business & Politics/Hendrix College/Impact Management Group survey.

According to the poll of 400 registered voters conducted between August 20th and August 23rd, 84% agree that cannabis should be legalized for medical purposes. Only 14% disagree that medical cannabis should be legalized.

The poll – which asked the specific question Do you agree or disagree that adults should be allowed to legally use marijuana for medical purposes if a physician prescribes it? – found 56% of voters to be “strongly” in support of legalizing medical cannabis, with 28% “somewhat” in support.