Marijuana – Page 88 – Family Council

Arkansas Farm Bureau Opposes Marijuana Issue 4

Oct 20, 2022Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

On Wednesday, Stanley Hill, Vice President, Public Affairs & Government Relations of Arkansas Farm Bureau, published an opinion-editorial opposing ballot Issue 4, the amendment to legalize marijuana in Arkansas.

Mr. Hill writes,

Issue 4 would legalize recreational marijuana in the state and our organization opposes production or use of recreational marijuana in Arkansas. In November 2016, Arkansas voters approved medical marijuana by a slim margin and now more than 95,000 Arkansans have been granted access to medical marijuana.
If approved, Issue 4 would bring concerns of workforce challenges for farmers and ranchers already burdened with labor issues. Compounding that would be detrimental to our state’s top industry.
Finally, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has presented data that shows car crash rates have spiked in other states that have legalized recreational marijuana. These are statistics that have a real impact on every Arkansan’s insurance premium at a time when most pocketbooks can’t take another price increase.

Farm Bureau’s concerns about Issue 4 echo concerns that other Arkansans have raised about marijuana legalization.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the CDC report that after alcohol, marijuana is the substance most often associated with impaired driving.

In Colorado traffic fatalities where the driver tested positive for marijuana have increased 138% since the state legalized marijuana in 2013.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes in Washington doubled after the state legalized marijuana.

A 2020 study published in JAMA Network Open found that more than 1 in 8 teen drivers reported recently driving after using marijuana, and teens were more than twice as likely to drive after using marijuana than they were to drink and drive.

All of this underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

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

Marijuana Businesses Increase Spending on Issue 4 Campaign, Candidate Donations

Oct 19, 2022Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

Reports filed with the Arkansas Ethics Commission show Responsible Growth Arkansas — the group supporting Marijuana Issue 4 — spent $404,593.98 on its campaign last month.

Of that money, more than $293,000 went toward advertising expenses.

Responsible Growth Arkansas currently has two television ads in support of Issue 4. Earlier this month the ads prompted a cease-and-desist letter from the Little Rock City Attorney after it was discovered the advertisements used video footage of police officers from LRPD recruitment videos without the police department’s knowledge or consent.

Responsible Growth Arkansas is still running the ads on TV despite the cease-and-desist letter from the City of Little Rock.

All told, Responsible Growth Arkansas has received nearly $4.9 million in campaign contributions for Issue 4. Virtually all of that money has come from members of the marijuana industry.

In a separate filing with the Arkansas Secretary of State, the Grow PAC revealed it contributed $7,750 during previous three months to candidates running for office in Arkansas.

Grow PAC represents the medical marijuana industry in Arkansas, and it has given thousands of dollars to political campaigns in the state this year.

As we have said many times, marijuana is a multimillion dollar business, and the corporations behind marijuana have a lot of money at their disposal. Between contributions to pass Issue 4 and support for specific candidate campaigns, the marijuana industry seems to be working hard to exert its influence in Arkansas.

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

Arkansas Southern Baptist State Convention Leader Opposes Issue 4

Oct 17, 2022Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

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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