Hate Crimes Legislation is Not the Answer

Hate Crimes,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 17, 2019

On Tuesday Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson released a statement renewing calls for Arkansas to pass hate crimes legislation.

In response, Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement, saying, “Hate crimes laws don’t work. New Jersey has a hate crimes law like the one the governor is proposing, but it didn’t stop anti-Semitic violence from happening in that state last week. The FBI tracks hate crimes committed nationwide. According to the FBI, the five states with the highest number of hate crimes in 2018 were Washington, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Michigan. Every one of these states has a hate crimes law. Arkansas, on the other hand, has some of the fewest hate crimes of any state in America. Passing a hate crimes law isn’t going to do anything here.”

Cox said besides being ineffective, hate crimes laws give government the power to punish speech and beliefs. “Hate crimes laws give the government the power to punish thoughts as well as actions. When police investigate a possible hate crime, questions come up about what the suspect wrote or said. People ask questions about his religious beliefs or his friends and associates. These investigations stray into thought-policing and end up punishing criminals for what they believe in addition to what they did. Free countries don’t criminalize beliefs or thoughts.”

Cox said hate crimes laws promote unequal justice. “Hate crimes laws treat crimes and their victims unequally. Targeting anyone and committing a crime is wrong and currently illegal. When hate crimes laws levy harsher penalties for targeting some people but not others, the punishments can differ even if the crimes are the same. The penalty for murder or armed robbery should be the same no matter the victim’s race, religion, or sexual-orientation.”

Cox said Family Council will oppose any effort to pass hate crimes legislation in Arkansas. “We have opposed hate crimes laws every time they have been proposed at the Arkansas Legislature since the 1990s. This legislation was a bad idea 25 years ago, and it’s still a bad idea today.”

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Arkansas Millions of Dollars in the Hole on Marijuana

Marijuana

Last week we wrote how the tax revenue from “medical” marijuana sales may not be enough to cover the state’s annual costs despite the fact that millions of dollars worth of marijuana has been sold in Arkansas.

The fact is, Arkansas is already millions of dollars in the hole paying for its “medical” marijuana program — and things don’t appear to be improving any time soon.

Marijuana sellers have grossed some $23.3 million off marijuana this year.

The state will get 10.5% of that money in tax revenue — about $2.4 – $2.5 million.

However, the state’s marijuana program is going to cost the Department of Finance and Administration, the Department of Health, and the Arkansas State Police some $3.7 – $4.7 million every year, according to estimates from 2016 — and they aren’t the only agencies and offices affected by the legalization of “medical” marijuana.

To make matters worse, the State of Arkansas already has spent millions of dollars establishing the Medical Marijuana Commission and funding other offices related to “medical” marijuana.

In Fiscal Year 2018 the Arkansas Legislature appropriated $5 million for the implementation of “medical” marijuana.

In Fiscal Year 2019 they appropriated another $5 million.

And this year they passed two measures appropriating approximately $11.6 million total for the program in Fiscal Year 2020.

In other words, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment has cost the state more than $20 million already.

Some of these are one-time expenses. Others are annual costs.

All told, it seems safe to assume that “medical” marijuana will cost the state at least $5 million or more every year.

At this point, it’s unclear if the state’s tax revenue from marijuana sales will be enough to cover these annual costs, much less repay the $22 million that Arkansas has spent implementing the program.

That means regular taxpayers will have to pick up the tab for “medical” marijuana in Arkansas.

Marijuana is tied to stroke, heart problems, and hypertension as well as permanent loss in IQ and an increased risk for schizophrenia.

That’s part of the reason why the U.S. Surgeon General issued a warning about marijuana last August.

Marijuana is a dangerous drug, and it is costing the State of Arkansas millions of dollars. As we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

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