A group of cannabis industry leaders and patient advocates in Arkansas has resubmitted a proposal to amend the state constitution and expand the medical cannabis program. The proposal called the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Amendment of 2024, aims to increase access, affordability, and quality of medical cannabis for patients in the state.
What are the proposed changes?
The Arkansas Medical Cannabis Amendment of 2024 would make several changes to the existing medical cannabis program, which was approved by voters in 2016. Some of the main changes are:
- Allowing more types of health care practitioners, such as pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, to certify patients for medical cannabis cards.
- Allowing patient assessments and certifications to be done through telemedicine, which would benefit patients in rural areas or with limited mobility.
- Eliminating the registration fee and extending the validity of medical cannabis cards from one year to three years would reduce the financial burden on patients.
- Expanding the list of qualifying conditions to include any medical need rather than only the 18 specific conditions currently allowed, such as cancer, PTSD, and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Allowing qualified patients to grow up to seven mature and seven immature cannabis plants at home, subject to rules and regulations by the state Alcoholic Beverage Control division.
- Allowing visitors from other states with medical cannabis cards to access Arkansas dispensaries without applying for temporary cards.
- Including a recreational cannabis trigger law, which would automatically legalize adult possession of up to one ounce of cannabis if it became federally legal.
Why is the proposal being resubmitted?
The proposal was resubmitted on February 5, 2024, after being rejected by the attorney general in late January 2024. The attorney general reportedly found some parts of the proposal to be improperly formatted, vague, or misleading. The group behind the proposal, Arkansans for Patient Access, said they have addressed the issues raised by the attorney general and are confident that their latest submission will satisfy the legal requirements.
“We’re opening [medical marijuana] up to more people who don’t have one of the very limiting qualifying conditions,” said attorney David Couch, who helped draft the original list of conditions in 2016. “What this does is make the medical marijuana industry like any other medicine.”
What are the next steps?
If the attorney general accepts the proposal, the group will need to collect at least 90,000 signatures from registered voters by July 5th, 2024, to qualify for the ballot. The group said they have already started the signature-gathering process and have received positive feedback from the public.
“We believe this amendment will improve the lives of thousands of Arkansans who suffer from chronic pain, debilitating illnesses, and terminal conditions,” said Bill Paschall, the executive director of the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association. “We hope the voters will have the opportunity to decide on this important issue in November 2024.”