Pro-Marijuana Group Sues Secretary of State, Asks Supreme Court to Place Amendment on Ballot

On Tuesday, sponsors of marijuana amendment Issue 3 filed a lawsuit asking the Arkansas Supreme Court to place Issue 3 on the November ballot.

Earlier this week the Arkansas Secretary of State announced that Issue 3’s sponsors failed to meet the legal requirements to place the measure on the ballot. This lawsuit means the Arkansas Supreme Court will have the final say over whether the measure will be voted on.

Issue 3 would make more than 30 changes to Arkansas’ constitution. Among other things, the amendment would give a handful of businesses a monopoly over marijuana in Arkansas, and it would remove restrictions that protect children from marijuana marketing.

Under this measure, marijuana users would no longer need to show they suffer from a specific medical condition listed in state law — making it easier to use marijuana recreationally.

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

On Tuesday, Issue 3’s sponsors asked the Arkansas Supreme Court to overturn the Secretary of State’s determination that they failed to comply with state law and place Issue 3 on the November ballot.

The legal challenge alleges, “[The] Secretary of State refused to count thousands of signatures of Arkansas voters. Had those signatures been counted, the Amendment would have been certified. The Secretary . . . should be compelled to count and verify the signatures of Arkansas voters that he wrongly disregarded.”

The Secretary of State reportedly did not count the signatures, because the measure’s sponsors failed to comply with state law concerning petition canvassing.

Attorneys for the group Protect Arkansas Kids also filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit on Tuesday.

Protect Arkansas Kids is one of the organizations that opposes Issue 3. Intervening in the lawsuit could give the group an opportunity to work against the marijuana measure in court.

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