Will Arkansas Voters Be Next to Legalize Marijuana?
After a history of rejecting marijuana-related ballot measures at the certify-the-popular-name-and-ballot-title step of the process, Arkansas' attorney general, Democrat Dustin McDaniel, is allowing the Arkansas Hemp and Cannabis Amendment to move forward.
Supporters of the measure now have until July 7 to file the necessary petition signatures—78,133 of them. They have to hit a specified minimum number of signatures in 15 of the seventy five counties in Arkansas. The amendment was proposed by Robert Reed, whose medical marijuana amendment was rejected earlier this year at the same point in the process.
Arkansas has among the harshest marijuana laws in the country, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. Possession of up to four ounces can lead to a year in jail, and a third possession conviction can lead to six.
Text of the amendment below:
Section 1. This is an Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution that shall be called "The Arkansas Hemp and Cannabis Amendment."
Section 2. Effective April 20, 2015, the cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, selling, possessing and use of the cannabis plant (genus cannabis) and all products derived from the cannabis plant (genus cannabis) is lawful within the entire geographic area of each and every county of this State.
Section 3. "Hemp" is defined for purposes of this amendment as any part of the cannabis plant (genus cannabis), living or not, containing one percent or less, by dry weight, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol(Delta-9-THC).
Section 4. "Cannabis" is defined for purposes of this amendment as any part of the cannabis plant (genus cannabis), living or not, containing greater than one percent, by dry weight, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-9-THC).
Section 5. The cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, sale, possession and use of "Hemp" for personal, industrial, or commercial use may be regulated, but the number of plants cultivated or the products derived from manufacturing, shall not [be] limited or prohibited, by the General Assembly.
Section 6. The cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, sale, possession and use of "Cannabis" for personal, industrial, or commercial use may be regulated, but not prohibited, by the General Assembly.
Section 7. All laws which conflict with this amendment are hereby repealed to the extent that they conflict with this amendment.
Related: The July issue of Reason, "Marijuana on Main Street."
