Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge rejected the wording of a proposed ballot measure that would legalize medical marijuana in the state.
The proposed constitutional amendment, dubbed the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2016, was submitted by Little Rock attorney David Couch and would establish a commission to license between 20 and 40 medical marijuana dispensaries across the state. The commission would be appointed by the governor and legislative leaders under the proposal and would also license between four and eight marijuana cultivation facilities.
The Attorney General must certify the proposal before supporters can gather the nearly 85,000 signatures from registered voters required to qualify for the November ballot. She rejected the proposed wording on Wednesday, based largely on the wording of the title of the initiative.
There is still hope for Arkansas patients
The rejected initiative is separate from the measure currently being promoted by Arkansans for Compassionate Care, which has been gathering signatures for the November 2016 ballot since their initiative, the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act, was approved by the previous Attorney General in 2014. In a statement on their Facebook page, Arkansans for Compassionate Care had this to say:
[su_service title=”PLEASE SHARE THIS TO CLEAR UP THE CONFUSION:” icon=”icon: facebook”]The 2016 Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act was certified by the Arkansas Attorney General (Dustin McDaniel) in September of 2014 and we’ve been collecting signatures ever since. In order to be on the ballot, we’ll need 67,887 valid, registered voters.
You can read the entire initiative on our website. Find out what medical conditions are included, how to get a medical cannabis card, and learn about cannabis care centers (formerly known as dispensaries). [/su_service]
You can read the Attorney General’s response to Couch’s proposed initiative, as well as a full copy of the measure, by downloading the PDF here.
