Petitions submitted for second marijuana proposal in state

Petitions for a second medical marijuana proposal vying for a spot on Arkansas' ballot this fall have been submitted to the secretary of state's office.

Arkansans United for Medical Marijuana on Friday turned in more than 106,268 signatures for its proposed constitutional amendment legalizing marijuana for certain medical conditions. The measure needs at least 84,859 signatures from registered voters to qualify for the November ballot.

David Couch, the sponsor of the proposal, said he expected he'd fall short of the required number but would have enough to qualify for another 30 days to circulate petitions. The secretary of state's office has 30 days to review his petitions.

A competing medical marijuana proposal was approved Thursday for the November ballot after election officials said the group behind it had submitted more than enough signatures. Arkansas voters narrowly rejected legalizing medical marijuana in 2012.

Friday is the deadline for groups to submit petitions for their ballot measures.

Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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