Group Backing Marijuana in Arkansas Raised Nearly $70K in September: New Report

The group campaigning for marijuana in Arkansas raised $69,999 during September, according to reports filed Tuesday with the Arkansas Ethics Commission.

Arkansans for Patient Access is working to pass Issue 3, an amendment drastically expanding marijuana in the state.

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.

Issue 3 would give free marijuana cards to immigrants and out-of-state residents who come to Arkansas to use marijuana.

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.

Issue 3 also fails to limit the amount of THC in marijuana products.

All of this would lead to more marijuana in Arkansas.

The ethics reports filed Tuesday show Arkansans for Patient Access raised $69,999 during September to pass marijuana amendment Issue 3. The funding came entirely from members of the marijuana industry.

A growing body of research shows marijuana is dangerous.

For example, a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that states that legalized commercial marijuana sales saw self-harm rates rise by 46% among men ages 21 to 39.

Marijuana can have damaging effects on adolescent brains — including permanent loss in IQ, difficulty thinking and problem-solving, reduced coordination, and increased risk of psychosis.

We have also written time and again about how marijuana’s legalization in other states has actually emboldened drug cartels and organized crime.

Some of these illegal marijuana operations are tied to labor trafficking and violent crime, and some have connections to foreign interests like the Chinese Communist Party.

A CBS News segment last year highlighted how Chinese investment is driving illegal marijuana production across the U.S.

CBN reported last October that Chinese investors with “suitcases full of cash” are buying U.S. farmland to grow black market marijuana.

Other correspondents have reported how these illegal marijuana operations contribute to “modern day slavery on American soil.”

All of this raises serious concerns about what marijuana expansion could mean for Arkansas.

Family Council Action Committee has materials available for volunteers and churches regarding the marijuana amendment:

• Marijuana Amendment Policy Brief
• Church Bulletin Inserts
• Graphic for churches

You can learn more at FamilyCouncilActionCommittee.com.

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