Medical Marijuana Initiative In Arkansas Gathers More Than Enough Signatures To Place It On Nov Ballot

Efforts to expand medical marijuana access in Arkansas seem to be paying off.

Cannabis activists in Arkansas managed to submit more than 111,000 petition signatures by the July 5 deadline to place the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

The group, Arkansans for Patient Access (APA), said on Friday that they had collected more than enough for the measure to qualify – well above 90,704 signature threshold. The policy change would allow more healthcare professionals, including medical and osteopathic doctors, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants and pharmacists to prescribe marijuana to patients, reported 5 News Online.

The initiative also proposes adding additional medical conditions for which medical cannabis can be prescribed. More precisely, any condition that a “health care practitioner considers debilitating to a patient that might be alleviated by the use of usable marijuana.”

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Moreover, non-Arkansas residents would also be eligible to get a medical cannabis card under the policy change. The card's expiration date would be extended from one to three years.

"Our canvassers found voters eager to place an amendment on the ballot that will eliminate barriers to access and make it less expensive to acquire and keep a medical marijuana card," Bill Paschall, APA campaign committee member, said. "As we move into the fall, we look forward to educating Arkansans all across the state about this amendment and the medicinal benefits of marijuana."

In addition, the measure's trigger provision would put an end to cannabis prohibition statewide in the event of the plant's legalization on the federal level.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin approved the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024 in February, allowing for the ballot measure to garner signatures. Griffin, who previously rejected ballot language due to its title, is now expected to certify the signatures.

Meanwhile, over the past couple of months, cannabis activists in North Dakota and Nebraska also gathered enough signatures to place their respective cannabis legalization initiatives on the November ballot.

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