Family Council Obtains Affidavits from Sponsors of Abortion, Marijuana, Casino License Repeal Measures

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On Thursday Family Council received copies of the ballot initiative sponsor affidavits from Local Voters in Charge and Arkansans for Patient Access.

Local Voters in Charge is backing a measure that would repeal the Racing Commission’s authority to issue a casino license without local voter approval in a countywide election. Arkansans for Patient Access is sponsoring an amendment to expand medical marijuana in Arkansas.

On July 5, both groups submitted petition signatures to place their amendments on the ballot.

Documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act show that leaders from both groups filed affidavits with the Secretary of State attesting, among other things, about how each group conducted background checks and training for paid canvassers employed in the petition drives.

Act 1413 of 2013 specifically requires a ballot initiative’s sponsor to list any paid canvassers employed in collecting signatures, and it requires them to file a statement confirming that each paid canvasser was given a copy of the state’s initiative and referenda handbook as well as an explanation of relevant state laws before he or she solicited petition signatures.

Under Arkansas law, paid petition canvassers must be residents of Arkansas. They must pass a criminal background check, and their information must be properly recorded with the Secretary of State’s office.

The affidavit from Local Voters in Charge is available here.

The affidavit from Arkansans for Patient Access is available here.

Family Council also received documents that Arkansans for Limited Government — the group backing an abortion measure in Arkansas — filed with the Secretary of State concerning its abortion amendment petition.

The documents included an affidavit stating the number of petition signatures submitted, but the affidavit did not include a statement concerning how the organization background-checked and trained its paid canvassers.

The group submitted some 101,525 petition signatures to place the measure on the ballot on July 5. However, the Secretary of State disqualified every petition signature, because Arkansans for Limited Government failed to provide affidavits from the measure’s sponsor concerning paid canvassers as required by state law.

In his letter notifying the group about the disqualification, Secretary of State Thurston pointed out that no other initiative sponsors failed to provide an affidavit concerning paid canvassers.

On Tuesday Arkansans for Limited Government sued the Arkansas Secretary of State for rejecting its petitions. The lawsuit called his rejection “unlawful,” and asked the Arkansas Supreme Court to order the Secretary of State to count the petition signatures for the abortion amendment.

Arkansans for Limited Government previously submitted documents to the Secretary of State showing it employed 265 paid petition canvassers over the course of its petition drive — including more than 70 paid canvassers hired within 48 hours of the July 5 signature deadline.

Legal experts have pointed out the abortion amendment would prevent the State of Arkansas from restricting abortion during the first five months of pregnancy — which is more extreme than Roe v. Wade — and would allow thousands of elective abortions on healthy women and unborn children every year.

The amendment does not contain any medical licensing or health and safety standards for abortion, and it does not require abortions to be performed by a physician or in a licensed medical facility.

It automatically nullifies all state laws that conflict with the amendment, jeopardizing basic abortion regulations — like parental-consent and informed-consent requirements that both sides of the aisle have supported in the past.

The measure also contains various exceptions that would permit abortion through all nine months of pregnancy in many cases.

The lawsuit over the Secretary of State’s rejection of the abortion amendment petitions is currently before the Arkansas Supreme Court. Family Council will continue to monitor and report on the case.

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

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Family Council Urges DOJ Not to Reclassify Marijuana

Marijuana

On Wednesday Family Council submitted a formal comment urging the U.S. Department of Justice not to reclassify marijuana.

In May the Biden Administration’s Justice Department announced plans to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug — putting it in the same category as anabolic steroids or Tylenol with Codeine.

The rule change would not legalize marijuana outright, but it could create more confusion about marijuana’s legal status and make it much easier for people to grow and use marijuana.

This proposed rule change comes despite growing evidence of marijuana’s serious — and permanent — impact on physical and mental health.

A body of scientific research reveals that marijuana is harmful — especially for teens and young adults. 

Nationwide, since 2019, the number of kids diagnosed with cannabis-induced mental disorders, including schizophrenia and psychotic episodes, has increased by 50%.

And research has shown time and again that marijuana has a significant potential for dependence and abuse.

The federal government is accepting public comments on its proposal to redesignate marijuana as a Schedule III Controlled Substance. Below are some of the comments Family Council submitted on Wednesday.

Marijuana does not meet the basic criteria of a Schedule III controlled substance. The Controlled Substances Act requires Schedule III controlled substances to have an accepted medical use in the United States. To date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved marijuana for the treatment of any disease or condition.

Marijuana poses a high potential for abuse and dependence. A 2015 study published in JAMA Psychiatry found “nearly 3 of 10 marijuana users manifested a marijuana use disorder [abuse or dependence] in 2012-2013.” This, coupled with the fact that it currently has no accepted medical use in the United States, should prevent it from being classified as a Schedule III substance.

An emerging body of scientific research shows marijuana is a harmful, psychoactive substance. A 2024 study published in the journal Psychological Medicine estimates teens who use marijuana are at an 11 times higher risk of developing a psychotic disorder compared to teens who do not use marijuana. Studies closely link marijuana use with increased risk for depression and bipolar disorder and to higher rates of schizophrenia.

Transferring marijuana to schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act would signal that marijuana has an accepted medical use when it actually does not. It would ignore the potential for abuse and dependence among users. And it would risk contributing to psychotic disorders and mental illnesses in America. We ask that you not reschedule marijuana at this time.

You can click here to submit a comment concerning the proposal to reschedule marijuana.

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

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Arkansas State Police Patrol “Drug Pipeline” on I-40

Marijuana

KLRT News in Little Rock recently reported how Arkansas State Police patrol a “drug pipeline” on Interstate 40.

The article notes Arkansas State Police seized more than 11,000 pounds of illegal drugs last year. Law enforcement say that illegal opioids, meth, and cocaine come from Mexico, but illicit marijuana actually comes from neighboring states:

“Oklahoma has legalized marijuana. They have opened the floodgates in the marijuana trade,” [Arkansas State Police Lt. Dennis] Overton said. “They have over 8,000 registered grows in Oklahoma alone. That’s a lot of marijuana so the only way to move that much product is on the black market.”

Family Council has written before about how authorities in Oklahoma describe illicit marijuana as a problem that “plagues” their state.

All of this underscores how time and again we have seen marijuana legalization fuel drug cartels and the black market instead of weakening them.

Oregon has been flooded by illegal marijuana operations controlled by organized crime and drug cartels. Some of these marijuana operations are tied to labor trafficking and violent crime.

Despite California’s decision to legalize marijuana, the state’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce seized nearly 32,000 pounds of illegal marijuana in the first three months of 2024.

Right now the group Arkansans for Patient Access is actively working to drastically expand marijuana in Arkansas.

If passed, the amendment would give free marijuana cards to immigrants and out-of-state residents who come to Arkansas to use marijuana.

The amendment would guarantee marijuana growers and sellers a monopoly over the state’s marijuana industry.

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 measure also fails to limit the amount of THC that marijuana products can contain, and it repeals restrictions on marijuana advertising.

All of this would lead to more marijuana in the state.

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

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