Arkansas to vote on legalizing medical cannabis in November

Another state in the southern United States could join the medical cannabis club this November, with Louisiana.

The association Arkansas for Compassionate Care (ACC) announced last Thursday at a press conference that the Secretary of State had certified the group’s initiative on the legalization of medical cannabis. The measure will therefore appear on the November referendum ballot, alongside other measures on which every citizen will be able to cast a vote.

The campaign to legalize medical cannabis in Arkansas had collected 77,516 valid signatures, exceeding the required 67,887 signatures.

Support for medical cannabis is strong in this state, with 58% of people in favor according to the latest polls. However, a similar measure was rejected in 2012, receiving only 48% votes instead of the 50% needed.

The current initiative, the 2016 Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act, establishes a statewide program for the licensed production, analytical testing, and distribution of medical cannabis. Under this program, patients diagnosed by a doctor with one of the 50 qualifying conditions will be able to obtain cannabis at one of the 38 official treatment centers. Patients who do not have a dispensary near their home may be issued a special certificate to grow their own medicine at home.

ACC campaign director Melissa Fults is nevertheless concerned—not about the November vote, but about another campaign on medical cannabis currently underway in Arkansas. Led by a representative from Little Rock (the state’s largest city), this second initiative could undermine the efforts of both sides to pass legislation in favor of medical cannabis.

A third petition, calling for the legalization of recreational cannabis, is also currently circulating, but is considered less likely to be included in the November referendum.

Similar measures regarding medical cannabis will be introduced in November 2016 in Florida and in Missouri. Initiatives on the recreational use of cannabis will be put forward in Arizona, in California, in Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada.