What’s in the 2024 Arkansas Marijuana Amendment?

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This article is part of an ongoing series tracking the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024 and examining its possible effects on state law.

An organization in Arkansas is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to put marijuana on the ballot this year.

If passed, the 2024 marijuana amendment would drastically expand Arkansas’ marijuana laws.

Below are a few examples of changes the amendment would make to marijuana in Arkansas.

Free Marijuana Cards at Taxpayer Expense

Currently, marijuana users pay $50 for a medical marijuana card. This money helps facilitate the marijuana program.

Section 3 of the amendment would eliminate that $50 fee.

The amendment also gives free marijuana cards to immigrants and out-of-state residents who come to Arkansas to use marijuana.

Free marijuana cards likely means taxpayers will bear more financial responsibility for marijuana in Arkansas.

Enabling Recreational Marijuana

Section 3 of the amendment lets people use “medical” marijuana without suffering from one of the specific medical conditions — like cancer or glaucoma — currently listed in state law.

Letting people use marijuana without suffering from a specific medical condition listed in state law arguably would enable recreational marijuana in Arkansas.

A Monopoly for Marijuana Growers and Sellers

Sections 3 and 5 of the amendment would help guarantee marijuana growers and sellers a monopoly over the marijuana industry in Arkansas.

Repealing Restrictions on Marijuana Advertising

Section 3 of the amendment repeals restrictions on marijuana advertising.

Over the years, the State of Arkansas has enacted restrictions to help ensure marijuana advertising doesn’t target children and that advertisements don’t use a cross or other symbols commonly associated with the practice of medicine.

In 2019 the Gov. Hutchinson signed a law requiring marijuana advertisements to include disclaimers about the dangers of marijuana.

The proposed amendment would repeal and replace these restrictions.

You Can Download a Copy of the Marijuana Amendment Here.

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Why Were Arkansas’ “Medical” Marijuana Sales So High on 4/20?

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The Arkansas Times recently reported that “Marijuana sales on 4/20, the unofficial cannabis holiday, nearly tripled the daily average for medical marijuana sales in Arkansas this year.”

According to the Arkansas Times, users bought more than $2.1 million worth of “medical” marijuana on April 20. For perspective, the daily average for marijuana sales is $780,000.

But if “medical” marijuana is about treating illnesses and helping sick people — as Arkansans were led to believe when they ratified the state’s medical marijuana amendment in 2016 — then why would “medical” marijuana sales spike on a day dedicated to getting high?

We said in 2016 that “medical” marijuana is simply recreational marijuana masquerading as medicine, and that under the marijuana amendment, people would use marijuana recreationally.

The fact that “medical” marijuana spending was nearly three times above average on 4/20 would seem to prove people are using “medical” marijuana recreationally in Arkansas.

It’s worth pointing out that right now an amendment effort is underway to drastically expand marijuana in Arkansas.

If passed, the 2024 marijuana amendment would give free marijuana cards to immigrants and out-of-state residents who come to Arkansas to use marijuana, and marijuana users would no longer need to show they suffer from a specific medical condition listed in state law.

All of this would seem to further enable recreational marijuana in Arkansas.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Updated: Biden Administration Plans to Propose Rule Rescheduling Marijuana

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On Tuesday the A.P. reported that the Biden Administration’s Department of Justice plans to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug.

Under federal law, Schedule I drugs are substances with a high risk of abuse and no FDA-approved medical use. Schedule III drugs are substances with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.

Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III substance would not legalize marijuana, but it would put marijuana in the same drug category as anabolic steroids or Tylenol with Codeine. As a rule, Schedule III substances are only available with a prescription from a licensed healthcare professional.

The Biden Administration is expected to accept public comments before issuing a final decision about rescheduling marijuana as a Schedule III substance.

Research has shown time and again that marijuana has a significant potential for dependence and abuse — especially marijuana products that are high in THC. And the FDA has not approved marijuana as a medical treatment for any illness or condition.

With that in mind, it seems inappropriate for the Biden Administration to reclassify marijuana.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

This article has been updated to reflect the fact that rescheduling marijuana would not legalize it, but it would affect the type of regulation to which marijuana is subject.

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