Arkansas Farm Bureau Forms Campaign Against Marijuana Issue 3

Marijuana,

On Monday Arkansas Farm Bureau for a Safe and Healthy Arkansas filed paperwork with the Arkansas Ethics Commission indicating it would oppose Issue 3, a proposal to drastically expand marijuana in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Secretary of State announced this week that Issue 3’s sponsors failed to meet the legal requirements to place the measure on the ballot, but the Arkansas Supreme Court is expected to 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 would give free marijuana cards to immigrants and out-of-state residents who come to Arkansas to use marijuana.

Arkansas Farm Bureau for a Safe and Healthy Arkansas is the latest organization to announce opposition to marijuana amendment Issue 3.

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

You can learn more at FamilyCouncilActionCommittee.com.

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

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

Marijuana,

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.

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Arkansas A.G. Sues Google, YouTube for Targeting Kids Online

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On Monday, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced his office is suing YouTube and its parent companies Google and Alphabet for deceptively targeting children in Arkansas.

In a statement, the attorney general said,

“YouTube has deceived users and parents about the safety of its platforms for youth. YouTube has profited substantially off young Arkansans because it deliberately designed its platform to be addictive by using features to keep users engaged for as long as possible.

“Google has deliberately designed and marketed YouTube to exploit and addict young users, contributing to a mental health crisis in Arkansas. The majority of children aged 13 to 17 report using YouTube every day.

“One of the gravest public health threats to children in the United States today is the soaring rate of mental and behavioral health disorders, including depression, self-harm, body dysmorphia, and increased suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide. This increase in mental health problems among children is the result of calculated efforts by social-media companies like YouTube to attract and addict youth to their platforms and to grow revenues without regard for the harmful effects that these companies know exist.”

Attorney General Griffin’s office has filed multiple lawsuits against tech companies for violating the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act — most notably Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

The A.G.’s lawsuits against TikTok allege the social media giant aggressively collects sensitive user data and that TikTok failed to fully disclose that the company is subject to Chinese laws that mandate cooperation with intelligence activities of the People’s Republic of China.

The A.G.’s lawsuit against Meta — which owns Facebook and Instagram — argues the company structured its social media platforms “to exploit multiple neuropsychological traits in youth.” It notes that Facebook and Instagram are built around algorithms intentionally designed “to exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time.”

As we have written many, many times, social media platforms are not just websites or phone apps. This is a multibillion industry, and the adults who control these companies have a responsibility to ensure their platforms do not harm or exploit children. It’s good to see Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin continuing to hold tech companies accountable.

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

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