Arkansas Medical Marijuana Update: Group Wants Supreme Court To Block Votes Allowing Legal Weed For November Ballot

Arkansans hoping to vote for legalized medical marijuana may be waiting even longer than they already have if a group of non-supporters have it their way.

Arkansans for Compassionate Care, one of the many groups that have been pushing to get legalized marijuana passed into Arkansas state law, recently caught a break when they’re latest proposal for medical marijuana was finally accepted on the November ballot.

But now an opposition group, Arkansans Against Legalized Marijuana, has asked the state Supreme Court to block votes approving the proposal a spot on the November ballot, claiming the proposed amendment is misleading and “omits material information that is essential for a fair understanding of the act,” The Cannabist reported Thursday.

The new proposal, which marks the second time pro-weed Arkansans have tried to get medical marijuana on Arkansas ballot, would allow ailing patients to purchase medical marijuana from a dispensary under a doctor’s prescription while patients who live too far from dispensaries would be allowed to grow their own marijuana.

According to the AALM and other groups disapproving of medical marijuana, including the state Chamber of Commerce, the Arkansas Farm Bureau and the Family Council Action Committee, the proposal doesn’t accurately explain to voters what exactly would be sold at dispensaries, like food and drinks that may contain marijuana. The complaint also cites incomplete and misleading information in the proposal in regards to the effect it will have on employers, landlords, churches and schools.

Although the Arkansas Supreme Court recently rejected a similar proposal, this time around ACC believes they’ll have better luck with securing the proposed amendment on the ballot.

“I feel very confident that it will pass the scrutiny of the Supreme Court and will be on the ballot,” Melissa Fults, campaign director for the ACC said to The Cannabist.

As per the National Conference of State Legislatures, only 25 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico offer legalized medical marijuana programs.