Ballot initiative to make Arkansas 17th medical
marijuana state possible in 2012
Arkansas
group collecting signatures to place initiative on November 2012 ballot
The Arkansas Legislature never took up
medical marijuana in 2011, and there’s little optimism that it will do so in
2012. Fortunately, Arkansans for Compassionate Care (ACC) is working to make sure
the voters of Arkansas get a chance to do what the legislature has been
unwilling to – remove criminal penalties for the use of marijuana for medical
purposes. Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel certified the initiative in April. ACC has until July 6, 2012
to collect 62,507 valid signatures to place the initiative on the November 2012
ballot, and the latest reports have them roughly one-third of the way toward
that number.
The initiative
would allow patients with serious illnesses like cancer, multiple sclerosis,
Crohn’s disease, and PTSD whose doctors recommend medical marijuana to possess
up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana. It would also allow patients to purchase
marijuana from one of up to about 30 dispensaries in the state, though patients
who don’t live near a dispensary would be able to grow their own or designate a
caregiver to grow it for them.
So what can you do to help? First and foremost, we need patients to get
involved. If you or someone you know is suffering from a serious illness and
could benefit from such a law, please send us an email.
If you are a law enforcement officer, physician, or clergy member, you too
should get involved,
as you can also have a powerful impact on the debate.
We’ll continue to update this page with all the latest developments. Stay tuned to our free email alerts for
breaking developments and opportunities to make a difference.
Marijuana
Laws in Arkansas
Possession of less than one ounce of
marijuana in Arkansas is a misdemeanor punishable with up to one year in jail
and a fine of up to $1,000. A second offense is considered a felony and can
result in incarceration for up to six years. A third offense carries a mandatory
minimum of three years with a maximum of 10 years. Possession of more than an
ounce of marijuana creates a presumption of intent to deliver. In other words,
if you have more than an ounce of marijuana, the state will presume you are a
drug dealer.
There were over 7,000 arrests for
marijuana-related offenses in Arkansas in 2007, and over 90% of them were for
simple possession of marijuana. Marijuana arrests are increasing nationally,
but Arkansas is outpacing even the national average. So has this increased
enforcement (and the millions of taxpayer dollars used to finance it) had any
deterrent effect? In a word, no. The annual number of Arkansans who use
marijuana actually increased during this period to 234,000. For more, including
statistics on arrest and enforcement trends, check out this excellent report from Jon Gettman, Ph.D.
If you’d like to see changes to
Arkansas’ harsh, ineffective marijuana laws, take just a minute of
your time to send a message to your state legislators urging them to consider
decriminalizing possession of modest amounts of marijuana in Arkansas.
Stay
connected
Thank you for supporting the Marijuana
Policy Project and all of our allies. If you have any questions concerning the
status of marijuana policy reform in Arkansas, you can contact us by email at state@mpp.org.
To receive news about Arkansas
marijuana policy reform as it happens, be sure to subscribe to MPP's free legislative alert service,
if you haven't done so already.
