In Arkansas, recreational cannabis could be on the November 2022 ballot

Arkansas voters are about to see a cannabis legalization initiative on the ballot this November, with activists turning in more than double the signatures required to qualify the measure on Friday.

Responsible Growth Arkansas submitted just over 190,000 signatures in favor of an amendment that would allow adults 21 and over to purchase and own up to one ounce of cannabis (28 grams) from authorized retailers.

They only needed 89,151 valid signatures to qualify the amendment for the vote.

The state has approximately two weeks to verify the signatures. In the event that the campaign fails to meet its target, but has at least 75 % of valid signatures, it will have a further 30 days to make up the difference.

NEW: The group hoping to legalize adult use of recreational marijuana, Responsible Growth Arkansas, has submitted more than 190,000 signatures to the Secretary of State. Signatures & ballot title will need to be certified before it's placed on the November ballot. #arnews #arpx pic.twitter.com/1UjIKQXU4n

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Responsible Growth Arkansas is just one of many campaigns for cannabis reform through this year's ballot, although supporters of the competing initiatives have since acknowledged that they will not be able to collect enough signatures to qualify.

Their draft amendment contains the following provisions:

• Adults 21 and over could buy and possess up to an ounce of cannabis from authorized retailers
• Home growing would not be allowed
• The Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) division of the Department of Finance and State Administration would be responsible for regulating the program and issuing licenses for cannabis businesses
• Existing medical cannabis dispensaries could also serve adult consumers. They would also be allowed to open another retail outlet for the sale of recreational cannabis only. A lottery system would award licenses for 40 additional adult-use retailers
• The state could impose up to 10 % in additional tax on recreational cannabis sales, on top of existing state and local sales tax.
• Tax revenues would be divided between law enforcement (15 %), the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (10 %) and the state's drug court program (5 %). The remainder of the revenue would go to the state's general fund
• The legislature could not repeal or amend medical cannabis laws without voter approval