State Supreme Court nixes pot proposal
State Supreme Court nixes pot proposal
Arkansas court disqualify Issue 7 medical marijuana proposal; Issue 6 still on the ballot
www.arkansasnews.com LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Supreme Court has disqualified a medical marijuana proposal from the Nov. 8 ballot. The Court struck down the proposed Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act (Issue 7) on the ballot.
But voters will still be able to weigh in on Issue 6, another medical marijuanathemed initiative that will stay on the ballot.
The court invalidated Issue 7 because it found that supporters did not gather enough qualified signatures. The court disallowed more than 12,000 signatures, leaving 65,412 valid signatures. That fell 2,465 short of the required number.
The court listed five reasons for throwing out signatures in its opinion:
• Some of the petition gatherers did not comply with Arkansas laws on who can become a canvasser.
• The signatures did not include an address, or included only a P.O. Box address.
• The canvasser verified the petition before the voter signed it.
• The canvasser checked an improper box.
• Canvassers did not specifically witness the signatures. The court was split, 5-2, on the issue. The majority with opponents of the proposed initiated act that would have allowed patients with certain medical conditions and a doctor’s recommendation to purchase marijuana from dispensaries. Earlier this month rejected a challenge
WMA&P
to Issue 6 Votes already cast during early voting, which began Monday, will not be counted.
Both measures called for allowing patients with certain medical conditions to buy the drug, but they differed in their restrictions and regulations. For example, the proposal struck down Thursday would have allowed patients to grow their own marijuana if they didn’t live near a dispensary.
The medical marijuana push still faces additional obstacles Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, has spoken out against the effort.
From the Arkansas News Bureau
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