Arkansas election officials will not be counting votes for a a ballot initiative concerning medical marijuana. Here’s why.
While the initiative for the proposed Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024 will appear on the November ballot, the state’s Supreme Court ruled it misleading due to the nature of its popular name and ballot title.
The proposed amendment would expand access to medical marijuana, but it also included provisions for legalizing marijuana possession for recreational use should federal law change.
“In sum, the popular name ‘Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024’ falsely suggests that the amendment is only about medical marijuana when, in reality, it is about much more,” says part of the decision. “Not only is the popular name misleading, but the ballot title is likewise misleading.”
The full decision and further commentary can be accessed on Justia Law’s website.
Arkansans For Patient Access led the initiative to get the amendment on the ballot. It set a goal of collecting 90,000 signatures by July 1, but ultimately gathered more than 150,000 signatures.
Commenting on the defeat, APA stated:
“We are deeply disappointed in the Court’s decision. It seems politics has triumphed over legal precedent.”
If the votes were counted, indications are the ballot would have received the thumbs up from the state’s voters. A Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College Poll carried out in September found of the 696 people polled, 54% supported it, 35.5% were against and 10.5% were still undecided. In the question asked of respondents, it mentioned that if federal law changed to remove marijuana from the schedule of controlled substances, it would also permit adults to possess up to one ounce of marijuana.
Support was highest among Democrats (78%) and Independents (61%), but 51% of Republicans opposed it (51%). Age-wise, support was highest among the youngest voters; although there was notable support among older voters,
The full wording of the Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024 can be viewed here.
Medical marijuana was legalised in Arkansas in 2016, but it wouldn’t be until 2019 when registry cards were issued. In FY2023, 93,716 applications were submitted for a registry ID card in and 62,407 patients applied for card renewal.
