HTL

andrewmcclain:

fuckyeahnaturalstate:

sinidentidades:

Marijuana advocates and activists groups could greet another victory for the public’s growing opinion on cannabis reform with the addition of a medical marijuana measure on the November ballot. Earlier this year, Arkansans for Compassionate Care turned in over 65,000 signatures only to have nearly half of the collected signatures dismissed by the Secretary of State as invalid. Not to be discouraged, ACC signature gatherers geared up for another rush of collections in order to turn in another 74,000 signatures last Monday. While less than half are required to be valid for the act to make it to the ballot, supporters are confident that it will qualify while marijuana advocates in the ACC have suggested that cannabis reform in the conservative south will force the U.S. government to reconsider the federal legality of the plant.

Ryan Denham, Campaign Director for the ACC, told Opposing Views, “We are in the Bible Belt, this isn’t generally one of the states that is a hotbed for marijuana reform or policy. If passed, this will send a strong message nationally…. Marijuana is medicine and it is time we recognize that on a national level.”

Conversely, growing federal action in Colorado and California as well as legal shenanigans in Montana have forced advocates to wonder if Arkansas would face a similar fate. Though Arkansas now has the opportunity to allow medical marijuana, supporters have noted that the act wouldn’t allow the large-scale operations under federal scrutiny in the West nor would it be quickly implemented. ACC’s campaign to rally support for the bill included a number of diverse users of the plant while focusing on an educational message intended to enlighten the uninformed. The act itself was modeled closely after Maine’s initiative with additional influence from Arizona’s program. If passed, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act would permit 30 dispensaries within the state though it would prohibit the outdoor cultivation in an effort to impose more strict regulation.

Just some news for our followers.

What’s that? I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over the sound of every progressive Northern liberal scratching their heads.