Arkansas Southern Baptist State Convention Leader Opposes Issue 4

Marijuana

The following is a press release from Family Council Action Committee.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 14, 2022

LITTLE ROCK, ARK. – On Friday, Executive Director of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention Dr. Sonny
Tucker released a statement opposing Issue 4, the constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana in
Arkansas.

“As followers of Christ, we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves,” Dr. Tucker said. “Legalizing marijuana does not show love to our neighbors. Drug abuse hurts families and robs people of their God-
given potential. Over the past ten years we have seen those problems worsen in states that have legalized marijuana. All of us know someone who has been devastated by drug use. Issue 4 would devastate many communities in Arkansas.”

Family Council Action Committee Executive Director Jerry Cox echoed Dr. Tucker’s words, saying, “Southern Baptist ministries in Arkansas have worked for decades to help people overcome addiction and substance abuse. Issue 4 undermines those addiction recovery programs. Some people will tell you that marijuana isn’t any more harmful than alcohol. That might have been true ten or twelve years ago, but it doesn’t seem to be true any more. High potency marijuana is the norm in states like Colorado and California, and Issue 4 legalizes THC extracts that are even more potent than a typical marijuana plant. Those drugs will hurt a lot of people. That’s just another reason why Arkansans should vote against Issue 4 this November.”

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Editorial Board at Arkansas’ Largest Newspaper Opposes Marijuana Issue 4

Marijuana

On Monday the editorial board at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette released an editorial against Issue 4, the marijuana amendment.

The editorial posed a straightforward question: Will marijuana fix what’s wrong in Arkansas? The answer, the editors argued, is No.

Among other things, the editors noted that Little Rock is experiencing a crime wave, ACT scores in Arkansas have fallen, and children aren’t reading at grade level. “Will legalizing marijuana fix that?” the editors ask.

After addressing several arguments in favor of marijuana legalization, the editorial concludes, “Will marijuana fix what’s wrong in Arkansas? If your answer is no, then please vote that way on Nov. 8.”

Read The Editorial Here.

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Arkansas’ SAFE Act Goes to Trial Monday

Transgender,
Above: Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R — Springdale) explains the SAFE Act to the Arkansas House of Representatives in this file photo from 2021.

The federal lawsuit over Arkansas’ Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act will go trial at 9:00 AM on Monday, October 17, 2022. The U.S. District Court’s schedule indicates the trial will last all day, with Judge James Moody presiding over the case.

The SAFE Act is an excellent law that protects children from sex-reassignment procedures, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones.

The Arkansas Legislature overwhelmingly passed the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act last year.

Researchers do not know the long term effects that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones can have on kids.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has never approved puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for the purpose of gender transition. Doctors are giving these hormones to kids off-label, in a manner the FDA never intended.

In July the U.S. Food and Drug Administration added a warning label to puberty blockers after biological girls developed symptoms of tumor-like masses in the brain.

In 2021 a major hospital in Sweden made headlines after announcing it would no longer administer puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children.

Over the summer news broke that a U.K. gender clinic that prescribed puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children for many years now faces the possibility of lawsuits from upwards of 1,000 families.

Despite mounting evidence that sex-change hormones and procedures are not appropriate for children, the ACLU and others have asked the federal courts to strike down Arkansas’ SAFE Act.

Several business interests and the Biden-Harris Administration also have joined the fight against Arkansas’ SAFE Act.

The lawsuit over the SAFE Act has underscored several key points about gender dysphoria, including:

  • The science surrounding gender identity remain in flux.
  • The demographics of transgender youth is changing in ways that scientists do not yet understand.
  • Randomized clinical trials do not support the adolescent gender transition processes that many doctors in America use.

U.S. District Judge James Moody has temporarily blocked the state from enforcing the law while the lawsuit progresses. 

Arkansas’ SAFE Act protects children. We believe federal courts ultimately will recognize that fact and uphold this good law as constitutional.

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