A ballot measure to approve all uses of cannabis is moving forward, Robert Reed, a backer of the constitutional amendment, said Thursday.
The proposed amendment -- one of three initiated proposals pertaining to marijuana -- was published in the legal notices section of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on May 27, well ahead of Wednesday's state-mandated publication deadline. The proposal was omitted from an article published Thursday on active ballot initiatives, of which there are now six.
"We're definitely getting the word out," Reed said. "It is a time crunch, but if the people want the farmers to plant it and our factories to get back into business and to quit importing this product from China, then it'll happen and we can beat Colorado when it comes to the industrial-medical part of it here in Arkansas."
The Arkansas Cannabis Amendment would allow "the cultivation, production, distribution, sale, possession, and use of the cannabis plant and cannabis-related products produced therefrom for recreational and medical purposes," under certain regulations.
It also would provide "for the release from incarceration, probation, or parole of all persons whose only conviction(s) were of state laws pertaining to the cultivation, production, distribution, sale, and possession of marijuana or possession of marijuana paraphernalia, and the expungement of records relating to such convictions."
In an interview Thursday, Reed emphasized the boon to tax revenue, savings from releasing prisoners and an economic development strategy. He said the United States imports certain plastics made from hemp that Arkansas could become a leader in producing -- if it allows the crop to be grown.
"We're the Natural State. We've got a good, long growing season," he said. "Realistically, some farmers could get three crops a year. This is a very short growing plant."
Reed said he wasn't sure how many signatures have been gathered because volunteers are just starting to get signature sheets in the mail.
"We really don't have a rough count," he said. "We're telling people, we're still 80,000 short."
For constitutional amendments, supporters need 84,859 verified signatures to get on the ballot. The deadline for submitting signatures to the secretary of state's office is July 8. If a ballot proposal receives enough valid signatures, it appears on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Reed said supporters were not having trouble distinguishing the Arkansas Cannabis Amendment from the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act or the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment.
The other two ballot measures seek to allow the use of medical marijuana.
The Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act contains a "grow your own" provision for those who cannot afford to buy marijuana. Nonprofit centers would serve as dispensaries.
The A̶r̶k̶a̶n̶s̶a̶s̶ ̶C̶a̶n̶n̶a̶b̶i̶s̶ ̶A̶m̶e̶n̶d̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment* does not specify how dispensaries can be run, but it would limit the number to 40 in the state. It would not allow medical users to grow their own marijuana.
The other three proposals are an amendment to allow privately run casinos in Boone, Miller and Washington counties; an amendment to limit attorney fees and noneconomic damages in medical lawsuits; and an amendment to limit state representatives to six years in office, senators to eight years in office and a maximum of 10 years in both chambers.
Metro on 06/10/2016
*CORRECTION: The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment is one of three proposed ballot measures pertaining to marijuana. It would legalize marijuana for medical uses, but not allow medical users to grow their own marijuana. It also would allow up to 40 dispensaries in the state, but does not specify how dispensaries would be run. This article incorrectly identified which constitutional amendment would allow dispensaries and not let users grow their own marijuana.