An amendment to the Arkansas Constitution to legalize recreational marijuana and allow for a number of cannabis businesses proportional to the state’s population was filed with the secretary of state’s office Thursday morning.
The Arkansas Adult Use and Expungement Marijuana Amendment, filed by Melissa Fults of the Arkansas chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, will be one of at least three adult-use cannabis proposals vying for the 2022 ballot.
Arkansas True Grass filed a separate amendment in May 2022 and has been gathering signatures. That measure, the Arkansas Recreational Marijuana Amendment of 2022, would legalize cannabis for people 21 and older without capping the number of marijuana businesses in the state.
Another group, Responsible Growth Arkansas, filed a statement of organization to advocate for a ballot initiative with the Arkansas Ethics Commission last month.
In an interview, Fults said she did not initially plan to file a recreational marijuana amendment but said she believed hers would be good for both the industry and consumers.
“I think that’s the only fair way to do it,” she said.
Read Friday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for the full story.