Arkansas Poultry Executive Donates $200k+ To Group Opposing Medical Marijuana And Abortion Initiatives

As Arkansas activists are working to place a measure to expand medical marijuana access statewide on the November 2024 ballot, the number of those opposing the policy measure is growing.

Arkansas poultry executive Ronald Cameron spent more than $100,000 in July alone to support a group trying to undermine medical marijuana reform efforts by Arkansans for Patient Access (APA), reported Arkansas Advocate.

The Arkansas chicken mogul serves as the chairman of chicken company Mountaire Farms Inc and has handed out $116,500 to the Family Council Action Committee 2024 during the last month.

Jerry Cox, president of the conservative Arkansas Family Council, formed a ballot question committee opposing both the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024, which was approved by Attorney General Tim Griffin in February, and a proposal to restore abortion rights statewide.

Cameron's latest contribution brings his total donations to the group to $215,740, according to marijuana and abortion finance reports. The group was also behind an education amendment that failed to gather enough signatures to make the ballot.

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APA, which reported submitting over 111,000 petition signatures by the July 5 deadline—well above the threshold required to qualify for this year’s ballot—did not receive approval from Secretary of State John Thurston. In a July letter, Thurston’s office informed the group that fewer than 77,000 of the signatures were deemed valid, granting it an additional 30 days, until August 30, to meet the required 90,704 valid signatures.

What The Marijuana Measure Seeks To Change

APA's measure seeks to allow more healthcare professionals, including medical and osteopathic doctors, nurse practitioners, physician's assistants and pharmacists to prescribe marijuana to patients.

The proposal seeks to expand the list of medical conditions eligible for medical cannabis prescriptions, specifically allowing any condition that a “health care practitioner considers debilitating to a patient and that might be alleviated by the use of marijuana.”

In addition, 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.

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