After a turbulent journey, Arkansas voters will have the opportunity to decide on a significant expansion of the state’s medical marijuana program next month.
According to Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston, the Arkansans for Patient Access (APA) initiative, officially known as the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Amendment of 2024, has secured enough valid signatures to qualify for the November 5 ballot.
The measure faced a major setback last week when Thurston announced that APA failed to gather enough verified signatures, even after submitting over 111,000 from 62 counties. The group was 2,664 valid signatures short of the required 90,704 needed to qualify. However, following a lawsuit filed by APA, the Arkansas Supreme Court ordered the Secretary of State to continue counting approximately 18,000 signatures that had previously been disqualified.
This ruling led to the verification of over 91,000 signatures, meeting the state’s requirements and allowing the measure to move forward.
The Arkansas Medical Cannabis Amendment of 2024 proposes several changes to the current law, including allowing patients to grow up to seven mature and seven immature marijuana plants at home. The amendment also includes provisions for telehealth assessments, the expansion of qualifying healthcare professionals authorized to recommend marijuana, and the removal of the retail prohibition on smokeable products. Additionally, it contains a federal trigger clause that would legalize recreational marijuana if the federal government deschedules the substance.
Polling conducted earlier in the month showed 54% of likely voters supporting the measure.
