Little Rock – Arkansas could become the first Bible Belt state to legalize medical marijuana, which pot advocates say would be proof of the drug’s popularity even in conservative parts of the country.
The fight over medical marijuana has overshadowed the presidential race in the deeply conservative state, four years after voters narrowly rejected a similar effort. Recent polls have shown Arkansans to be sharply divided over the proposed constitutional amendment, which would allow patients to buy marijuana from licensed dispensaries.
Half of the states have legalized medical marijuana. Some Southern states allow certain types of patients access to a form of the drug that is low in THC, which gives marijuana its high. But none have legalized the regular form of the drug, though voters in Florida are also considering doing so Tuesday.
The Arkansas measure, known as Issue 6, is the only valid medical marijuana proposal on the ballot. The state Supreme Court invalidated a competing measure after ruling that its backers didn’t follow state law regarding paid canvassers.
Issue 6 would allow patients diagnosed with qualifying medical conditions to apply for a state-issued registration card that would let them buy marijuana from licensed dispensaries. The proposal lists 12 conditions that would qualify, including cancer, Crohn’s Disease and post-traumatic stress disorder, along with chronic or debilitating diseases that produces certain symptoms such as seizures or severe nausea. It would also allow the Department of Health to add other qualifying medical conditions.
The proposal is opposed by some of the state’s most powerful lobbying groups, including the state Chamber of Commerce, the Arkansas Farm Bureau and the state Hospital Association. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who headed the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, has been an outspoken critic of the measure and has warned that state agencies may need as much as $5.7 million in additional funding for enforcement and regulations if it’s approved.
The measure’s backers have criticized such estimates, saying they don’t adequately account for the increase in taxes that it would raise or the jobs the dispensaries would create.
A Republican lawmaker who opposes the measure has promised to introduce legislation next year that would legalize a low-THC variety of the drug if voters reject the ballot proposal.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana Backers Seek Bible Belt Win In Arkansas
Author: Andrew DeMillo
Contact: (479) 442-1700
Photo Credit: Clifford Oto
Website: Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette