Close marijuana vote a surprise, foe says
This article was originally published November 7, 2012 at 7:02 a.m. Updated November 7, 2012 at 7:51 a.m.
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LITTLE ROCK — The president of the group that rallied to oppose an act that would have allowed the sale and use of medical marijuana for patients with certain conditions said Wednesday that he was surprised by the closeness of the race.
Proponents, meanwhile, said they are already turning their attention toward new efforts for legalizing medical use of the drug.
The state voted down the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act, with 51 percent opposing and 49 percent supporting, in a race that wasn't called until early Wednesday morning.
Jerry Cox, president of the Family Council, said he expected a race closer to 54-46. He said the tight race will result in even more opposition should the issue be addressed in the state Legislature or through another ballot measure in two years.
He said a number of medical and law enforcement groups that came out against the act didn't expect it would make the ballot, so they had minimal time to plan an opposition campaign.
"I think they'll be much more aware next time," Cox said.
Melissa Fults, treasurer for Arkansans for Compassionate Care, said her group will first pursue the issue through the state Legislature. If that fails, she said, it will again go through a petition campaign to get it on the ballot in two years.
"Needless to say, we're disappointed," Fults said by phone Wednesday morning. "But we were so close. We did more than anybody ever believed we'd do. And we'll start right back."
Fults said she believes the closeness of the race could spur legislators to take up the issue even though previous attempts haven't worked. Cox said he doubts the General Assembly would consider a law legalizing medical marijuana.
If it comes to another petition drive, the language in the act will likely change, Fults said. In particular, change is likely to the portion of the act that called for patients living more than 5 miles from a marijuana dispensary to grow their own small plot of plants.
Fults said the changes will need to be discussed in detail within the organization and with its attorney, adding there may still be some personal grow allowance.
"We'll make some language changes," she said. "There were some things that scared people. The 5-mile rule we'll have to deal with. That probably was the only thing that hurt us."
Comments on: Close marijuana vote a surprise, foe says
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NoUserName says... November 7, 2012 at 8:01 a.m.
Jerry needed more time to come up with more fabrications. Seriously. I haven't been here that long, but why does Jerry Cox get any press at all?
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Drumroll says... November 7, 2012 at 8:18 a.m.
It will win the next time around. The resultsa make me very optimistic.
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liberte09150851 says... November 7, 2012 at 8:46 a.m.
The only reason it wasn't made legal years ago is because the drug companies cannot control it and the government can't tax it because anyone can grow it. Opponents claim it is a gateway drug because illegal drug dealers sell it along with the truly dangerous drugs. There is not one reported case of anyone dying from an overdose of marijuana. The courts and our jails and prisons are overcrowded and overloaded because of criminalizing something that shouldn't be. The votes were close because those that bothered to become educated voted yes,
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Focus says... November 7, 2012 at 9:06 a.m.
Nothing but a crackhead or a simpleton would support the legalization of this type of starter drug. It's a shame that so many people are hooked on drugs in this state, nation, and world. Get off the drugs, and you just might become more productive. (If you think your job requires you to stay high to be productive, you need a real job, but you won't get it while you're high.)
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Those who are sick can take medicine with a prescription. There is a procedure for establishing validity and dosages for legitimate medicine sold through a pharmacy. We have finally passed legistation to require smokers to go somewhere else to kill themselves and others with secondhand smoke. Why do some of you think we would legalize marijuana just so you could show up at work, drive automobiles, make a fool of yourself at a bar, and go around in a drug-induced stupor with that silly smile on your face?
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Thankfully, some of us see through the smokescreen and have no intentions of legalizing your dangerous habit. You go ahead and bring it up again, and you will find that everybody is not doing it like your pusher suggests.
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jackrabbits1 says... November 7, 2012 at 9:10 a.m.
It's a shame that more folks can't be open about how they really feel about marijuana. I saw a post where a group of doctors had come out in support, and someone asked , where was the list of names?. Could you now imagine if that, list, were out there? It would be like throwing meat to hungry wolves. Those doctors would be ridiculed and punished by the insurance companies. Marijuana is a casual use drug in many Arkansas homes, that is in the closets. We need more "Coat and Tie" guys to come out and speak out. A lot of older folks only associate marijuana with "hipppies". Perhapse Vino's wasn't a great choice for the meet and great. I love the beer and pizza rocks, but it's not my moms venue! THANKS TO ALL WHO VOTED.........NEXT TIME WE WIN!!!!!!!!
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billg3112091102 says... November 7, 2012 at 9:14 a.m.
I guess all the drug dealers will leave the state now. Are we so naive that we believe that since the bill failed that people are going to stop using marijuana? I say, just don't bother people if they want to use it for pain or whatever. Who are we to keep something away from a person if it helps with their pain? If it grows naturally, why even bother?
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Hollyann says... November 7, 2012 at 9:18 a.m.
It amazes me that man feels he has the authority to make a plant that GOD has put on this earth for us illegal. I hope that comes up on Judgement Day.
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Hollyann says... November 7, 2012 at 9:26 a.m.
Ha! and I don't even smoke the stuff. I don't drink alcohol nor am I on any prescribed drugs. I just don't think it is a man's place to override GOD.
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ToTheLeft says... November 7, 2012 at 9:31 a.m.
If it helps you, smoke it. If it offends you, don't. Plain and simple.
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NONSHEEPLE says... November 7, 2012 at 9:38 a.m.
It's like ANYTHING else.... Who are YOU to tell ME what I can and cannot do? If YOU don't like it or want it then YOU can make the choice not to do it... Leave others to their own choices and move on with your life.
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WERDWERKER says... November 7, 2012 at 9:59 a.m.
Keep plugging, please. I have Glaucoma, my wife's sister used marijuana when undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Without the marijuana she was nauseous and unable to function because of the radiation and chem therapy. It is time the Christian right realized that they do not always have the best interest of the average person at heart, only their own. Hopefully it will be on the ballot again in two years and it will pass.
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leroy001 says... November 7, 2012 at 11:11 a.m.
Jerry Cox apparently makes a good living by doing bad. He helped make it illegal for unmarried adults to serve as foster parents. Please raise your hand if you have seen or heard of him doing anything to help locate people who would foster a child, or serve as guardian or adopt a child. The abandoned children and the cancer sufferers mean nothing to the Good Christians who support Cox. Prediction: he'll be fundraising again 2 years from now. For something that will help him keep making a good living doing bad.
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Murphy01 says... November 7, 2012 at 11:28 a.m.
See what happens when you gather opposition and take it to the ballot box Mr. Cox? You won this one and lost the lottery measure. No need to file lawsuit, just get out the votes for or against. I voted for this for one reason only, because I am sick of you trying to tell people how to vote. I may be just one vote, but you may consider that in the future.
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Jfish says... November 7, 2012 at 11:41 a.m.
Hollyann, what about the hundreds of other plants that God made that are lethal? Should we just go ahead and decrimnalized those too?
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TheBatt says... November 7, 2012 at 12:06 p.m.
@liberte09150851 - "There is not one reported case of anyone dying from an overdose of marijuana." Wrong. It is admittedly rare, but it has happened. Might want to check your facts somewhere besides pro-pot web sites.
But the real toll of marijuana use is in the same category as the damage and harm caused by alcohol. The difference is, alcohol is easier to monitor and regulate. Further, the impairment caused by marijuana is a different kind of impairment.
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jjordan says... November 7, 2012 at 12:11 p.m.
Speaking of crackhead - don't worry Hip. Eventually your generation will pass and Arkansas might actually get a clue... By your logic, Prohibition should never have been lifted. Your simple solution of prescription drugs nearly killed my family member while fighting cancer so maybe your mind would be a little more open if you experienced the same.
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arkyparky says... November 7, 2012 at 12:28 p.m.
saying marijuana causes other drug use is confusing correlation with causation, just like riding American motorcycles causes tattoos or that breathing salt air causes people to vote democratic.
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Packman says... November 7, 2012 at 12:55 p.m.
It's no surprise the measure almost passed. Arkansans are a compassionate people and the issue was touted as something that would help people in need with few if any consequences. As a result, the measure will likely pass in a couple of years. A major stopping block would be any new data regarding impairment due to dope smoking and death, due to vehicle operations. Should MADD come out against the proposal, it will go down faster than a stripper at a bachelor party.
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Lesterday says... November 7, 2012 at 1:08 p.m.
It is a shame that there is so much ignorance out there about marijuana and its use. Having been a hospice nurse for a number of years I was/am aware of the benefits that this plant can be for pain, nausea etc. and the pharmaceutical offering (the chemical) is not at all comparable and offers little if any benefit except to the drug companies. The pharm companies and the enforcing agencies do not want this to be legalized for many reasons---use your imagination----it is very lucrative for many! Marijuana does in no way compare to the legal use of alcohol and the damage that ongoing overuse of alcohol can cause for certain addictive prone personalities. Compassionate nurses and some medical doctors who treat end of life issues know about this; however keeping ones license is necessary to continue to earn a living!!!!
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Vickie55 says... November 7, 2012 at 1:26 p.m.
"Those who are sick can take medicine with a prescription." Just find your legal drug dealer and get lots of prescriptions for Vicadin, Ocycotin, Demerol, anything else you can think of. I'm sure none of those drugs are addictive at all. There are clinics all across the country just trying to get people clean from all the prescription drugs available.
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Hollyann says... November 7, 2012 at 2:07 p.m.
@jfish, how can you justify making a plant illegal? It was put here on this earth for our use and benefit. WHO IS MAN to decide the legality of that? The sun causes skin cancer. People drown frequently. Some plants are lethal. So what?! Is GOD breaking the law by causing pot to grow? Do you think GOD made a mistake creating certain plants for us to use?
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ELKHUNTER says... November 7, 2012 at 3:20 p.m.
Jfish, marijuana is not and cannot be lethal. It is non toxic and cannot cause overdose. It cannot directly cause death. Look it up.
Thebatt- No one has ever died from a marijuana overdose, ever. Look it up on ANY website you choose.
(Alcohol overdoses alone killed 50,000 americans last year. Not drunk drivers, not people doing stupid drunk stuff, alcohol OVERDOSE killed 50,000 people.)
If a loved one suffers from one of these ailments, you probably should have voted for this measure...
Alzheimers, siezures, Tourette's Syndrome, anorexia, sleep apnia, neurogenic pain, movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, epilepsy, Huntington's disease, leukemia, skin tumors, Parkinson's disease, PTSD, sickle cell anemia, muscle spasms, migraines, brain cancer, anxiety, Lou Gehrig's (ALS).
Medicine made from marijuana has shown promising positive clinical results treating these conditions without side effects associated with synthetic treatments, at a fraction of the cost. Jerry Cox does not care about your loved ones, he cares about lining the pockets of foreign Big Pharma and government task forces. Thanks Jerry, your so compassionate.
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RBBrittain says... November 7, 2012 at 3:33 p.m.
We'll see what happens once that vending-machine maker gets thru with Cox in court for misrepresenting their product. I suspect a lot of "no" votes (including mine) were cast before Cox pulled that stunt.
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Jfish says... November 7, 2012 at 4:04 p.m.
elk, nowhere in my post did I say it was lethal. I was making the point that just because something is natural or just because it is a plant, does not mean it cannot be harmful. At the end of the day, it is still a mind altering drug. How harmful or altering it is, is debatable. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, it is probably not as benign as the proponents would have you to believe or as bad as Jerry Cox would have you believe.
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Indica says... November 7, 2012 at 4:57 p.m.
I'm very happy that I live in California. We get great local organic pot.
You all have to smoke that moldy Mexican dirtweed. You deseve better but can't get it. At least the Arkansas cops will keep their jobs harrasing American citizens for their personal choice.
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ELKHUNTER says... November 7, 2012 at 5:06 p.m.
Fish, sorry to have misconstrued your post. After re-reading, it is a little ambiguous to me but I see your point. My point is this: Arkansas had a chance to step into the forefront of the medical world by being the first southern state with compassion towards people afflicted with horrible disease. What difference does it make to you what drug a terminal cancer patient ingests? Does it matter that it "might be harmful" in some respect to those who would benefit greatly from it's use? In other parts (18 states and D.C.) of this great country, where people can sleep at night regardless of what medicines their neighbors are taking, have voted to allow medical use and posession of marijuana at a great benefit to society. Only the deepest, most snake handling areas of the country still allow the full prohibition of marijuana. Personally, I will stand by the decisions and recent announcement by the American Medical Association (AMA), that marijuana has quite a promising future as medicine and should be allowed nationwide in that regard. I want doctors and surgeons deciding what medicines I should ingest, not uninformed preachers. Cheers!
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GCW says... November 7, 2012 at 5:39 p.m.
Arkansas voters are showing signs of thinking on their own.
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aimee says... November 7, 2012 at 6:01 p.m.
This was just a "test run".. They'll succeed the next time...!!! Liberty, remember, is the touchstone of the Right-wing fanatics..!!!
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