On Friday members of the marijuana industry proposed a constitutional amendment effectively legalizing recreational marijuana in Arkansas by drastically expanding “medical” marijuana in the state.
Among other things, the amendment expands the list of healthcare professionals who can write notes certifying people to use marijuana, and it lets people buy and use marijuana without showing that they suffer from one of the eighteen qualifying conditions currently listed in the state constitution.
It lets people grow their own marijuana at home, and it gives current marijuana growers and sellers a monopoly over the marijuana industry in Arkansas.
Together, these changes would let people grow, buy, and use marijuana in Arkansas for practically any reason.
The amendment also contains a trigger that clearly legalizes recreational marijuana in Arkansas if the federal government reclassifies or decriminalizes marijuana as a controlled substances.
Arkansas voters soundly rejected a similar marijuana amendment in 2022.
Across the board, drug cartels and other criminal elements have been emboldened in states that have chosen to legalize marijuana. Authorities in California, Oregon, and other states continue to seize marijuana grown and sold on the black market.
Studies show marijuana use during pregnancy can result in low birth weight and increased risk of long-term cognitive and behavioral problems for newborns. Research from California found infants were 35% more likely to die within the first year of birth if their mothers used marijuana heavily.
Regular marijuana use has been associated with lung problems and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. A 2022 study published in the journal of the Radiological Society of North America found marijuana smoke may actually be more harmful to lungs than cigarette smoke.
States that have legalized marijuana have seen increases in drugged driving and traffic injuries as well.
As 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.
