Arkansas medical marijuana signatures submitted

Two cancer patients, a former state senator, and campaign spokesperson Chloe Crater announced the successful completion of the first round of signature-gathering for the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act this afternoon. The Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana (AAMM) submitted over 66,000 signatures to qualify the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act for the November ballot.

In about two weeks, the office of the Secretary of State is expected to announce whether the initiative has qualified or whether it will have an additional month to submit valid signatures. Under Arkansas law, if the raw total of required signatures—64,465—and the raw number of signatures required in each of 15 Arkansas counties is submitted, an initiative's proponents have an additional month to show that signatures are valid and to submit additional valid signatures. AAMM is confident that the initiative will qualify for the November ballot and that Arkansas voters will have an opportunity to protect medical marijuana patients from arrest.

Today at the press conference, there was a clear illustration of why it is so important that this initiative become law. Cancer patient Reed Martin showed a box full of medicines that he had tried and that did not relieve his nausea. He explained, "These expensive, powerful drugs brought me no relief - but marijuana did." Debbie Carter, an accountant who is undergoing chemotherapy for a brain tumor, pleaded with the people of Arkansas to support the initiative. She said, "People looking to alleviate their pain should not be criminals."

Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to collect signatures, signed the petition, and donated to the campaign. We could not have come this far without you! We need your continued help to protect patients like Reed Martin and Debbie Carter.