Marijuana Fight Shifts to the Arkansas Legislature

Little Rock — On Tuesday Arkansas passed a marijuana ballot measure, Issue 6. Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement, saying, “This fight is not over. The battle now shifts to the Arkansas Legislature.”

Cox said, “A clever and grossly misleading advertising campaign funded by the marijuana industry deceived enough people into voting for a measure that is recreational marijuana masquerading as medicine. Hundreds of thousands of otherwise healthy people will soon qualify to use marijuana recreationally. It puts our children in harm’s way while a handful of businessmen get rich selling everything from marijuana candy to rolled joints as ‘medicine.’ We plan to fight tooth and nail to protect Arkansans from the consequences of this amendment.”

Cox said, “We have to find a way to mitigate the harm done when tons of so-called ‘medical marijuana’ are injected into our communities, our schools, and the workplace.”

Cox says his group already has some ideas for anti-marijuana legislation that can be introduced when the Arkansas Legislature convenes in January. “For example, we need to prevent marijuana advertising, define what it means to be impaired, clarify zoning options for cities and counties, and figure out how to keep marijuana out of our schools.”

Recently, Governor Hutchinson and eighty-four members of the Arkansas General Assembly went on record as opposing Issue 6. Cox said, “Lawmakers’ and other government officials’ hands will be tied by certain parts of the measure, and their will to change other parts will be lessened by the fact that voters chose to write marijuana into our state constitution. As things are now, the Arkansas Legislature is all that stands between the destructive power of Big Marijuana companies and the People of Arkansas.”

The Family Council is a conservative education and research organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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Michigan Audit Reveals One Doctor Wrote 11,810 “Medical” Marijuana Notes

Kush_closeAn audit by the Michigan Auditor General has revealed some troubling information about the state’s “medical” marijuana program.

According to the state’s audit, one doctor in Michigan signed off on 11,810 “medical” marijuana patients. That’s 14% of all “medical” marijuana users in the state.

Even if that doctor worked 80 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, he or she would only have about 20 minutes to devote to each marijuana patient every year. How can a doctor possibly oversee that many “medical” marijuana users?

Also startling: 22 other doctors signed off on 46,854 marijuana users; that’s nearly 2,130 marijuana users per doctor, on average. How can such a small number of doctors possibly monitor marijuana use by so many people?

Altogether, this report shows that roughly 70% of the marijuana notes certifying people to use “medical” marijuana in Michigan come from just 23 doctors. The same thing can happen in Arkansas under Issue 6.

With numbers like these, it’s plain to see “medical” marijuana is really just recreational marijuana by another name.

Anyone with pain or nausea can use marijuana.

Doctors don’t prescribe marijuana; they write a note that lets a marijuana user get a marijuana card.

Marijuana isn’t dispensed through a pharmacy; marijuana cardholders buy it from a store.

And marijuana use is not regulated or overseen in any meaningful sense.

Click Here to Read the Full Audit.

Coalition Touts Widespread Opposition to Marijuana Issue 6

The following press release is from Arkansans Against Legalized Marijuana.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 4, 2016

On Friday Arkansans Against Legalized Marijuana held a press conference regarding widespread opposition to marijuana ballot Issue 6.

The group identified thirty separate organizations and eighty-nine public officials who have come out against Issue 6. Arkansans Against Legalized Marijuana noted that opposition to marijuana in Arkansas cuts across political party lines, industries, and professions.

Prominent opponents of Issue 6 identified by the group include Governor Asa Hutchinson; Arkansas Surgeon General Dr. Greg Bledsoe; Arkansas Children’s Hospital; Arkansas Heart Hospital; the Arkansas Medical Society; the Arkansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families; Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation; and Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce.

Most of the organizations identified at the press conference are not members of Arkansans Against Legalized Marijuana, but have issued statements in opposition to Issue 6.

Members of the executive committee of Arkansans Against Legalized Marijuana issued statements at the press conference.

Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Randy Zook said, “The State Chamber is opposed to Issue 6 because it is promoting marijuana as medicine, which it is not. Further, using a vote of the people to make marijuana medicine is not the correct process. Issue 6’s anti-discrimination clauses will put employers in an unclear environment that will most certainly result in lawsuits, while reducing the safety and productivity of the workplace and available workforce.”

Bo Ryall, President and CEO of the Arkansas Hospital Association, said, “The Arkansas Hospital Association (AHA) opposes ballot Issue 6 on marijuana, and has joined the coalition Arkansans Against Legalized Marijuana. This ballot initiative is disguised as ‘medical marijuana,’ but ultimately allows the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. As an association of medical providers and employers, we oppose Issue 6.”

Family Council Action Committee President Jerry Cox said, “These so-called ‘medical marijuana’ ballot measures are nothing more than recreational marijuana masquerading as medicine. Anyone with pain or nausea can qualify to smoke marijuana without a prescription. Drug addiction will plague our children and grandchildren if so-called ‘medical marijuana’ becomes legal.”

Kevin Russell of Coalition for Safe Arkansas Communities said, “Marijuana Issue 6 is extremely dangerous because it’s the wolf in sheep’s clothing.  It is a constitutional amendment that will be nearly impossible to change or place safeguards on to help protect our communities and children.  It is financed by big industry backers looking to profit off of our most vulnerable and it is overseen by the Alcohol Beverage Control board, which has absolutely nothing to do with anything remotely medical.”

Larry Page with Arkansas Committee for Ethics Policy said, “Smoked and ingested marijuana is not legitimate medicine.  If there are some valid medical applications for components of marijuana, then medical science needs to do the requisite research, extract those components, and develop bona fide medicine for which quality can be assured, dosages can be measured, prescriptions can be issued, and pharmacies can dispense.  Get the science right — and then we can get the law right.”

Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation issued a statement, saying, “Farm Bureau’s current policy is against Issue 6 due to many reasons, such as the potential abuse the amendment would cause. Allowing ‘pain’ opens it up to basically recreational marijuana and this leads to additional stress to our communities, public safety, and government expense.”

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