Voters continue to approve marijuana policy reform measures at the local level
Last update: June 22, 2009
Medical marijuana law needed
Not one Arkansas legislator had the courage to introduce medical marijuana legislation this legislative session, leaving sick and dying patients vulnerable to arrest.
Interestingly, last year marked the 30th anniversary of the federal government's little-known medical marijuana program, which was implemented under the federal government's Investigational New Drug program.
If the federal government can have a medical marijuana program, why can't Arkansas?
Please send your state legislators an e-mail today asking them to introduce and support a medical marijuana bill next session.
Reform at the local level
On November 4, 2008, Fayetteville voters overwhelmingly approved an initiative that makes the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana intended for adult personal use the city's lowest enforcement priority. Voters approved the initiative by a 66% to 34% margin. In 2006, Eureka Springs approved a similar initiative that made marijuana offenses the lowest law enforcement priority in the city by a 62% to 38% margin.
Make no mistake, the time for change is now, and citizens all across the country know it. Voters in Hailey, Idaho; Denver, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; Columbia, Missouri; Missoula County, Montana; Hawaii County, Hawaii; and Santa Barbara, Oakland, Santa Monica, and Santa Cruz in California have approved similar lowest law enforcement priority measures in an attempt to free up police resources, clear court dockets, and save the taxpayers money.
In April, the Associated Student Government of Fayetteville's University of Arkansas presented a referendum to the student body which stated that marijuana offenses should not be punished by the university any harsher than alcohol offenses. The referendum passed with 67 percent of the student vote.
Click here to read more about what students at the University of Arkansas are doing to put an end to unjustified marijuana policies.
Please take a moment to build on this momentum by urging your legislators to introduce sensible and humane marijuana legislation during the 2010 session.
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.
