Motion Follows Ruling by the Arkansas Secretary of State that Found Legalization Proponents Did Not Follow Election Rules
(LITTLE ROCK, AR) – This week Protect Arkansas Kids, in conjunction with national public health policy organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action (SAM Action), filed legal motions to intervene in the pending Arkansas Supreme Court case over whether the sponsors of the marijuana legalization amendment followed the rules.
Specifically, Protect Arkansas Kids’ motions argues that legalization proponents are breaking the rules by misleading the voters in four key ways:
- The popular name of the marijuana amendment misleads voters into believing the amendment is only about marijuana for medical conditions when, in reality, it would legalize marijuana for nonmedical conditions.
- The popular name and ballot title mislead voters into believing that the amendment is only about marijuana for medical purposes when, in reality, it would, upon federal legalization, legalize marijuana in Arkansas for all purposes.
- The ballot title misleads voters by failing to disclose that the amendment would remove legislative oversight of marijuana in Arkansas.
- The popular name misleads voters because it omits that the proposed Amendment would neuter constitutional text that allows the General Assembly to amend or repeal initiated constitutional amendments by a two-thirds vote of both houses.
Protect Arkansas Kids’ motions come in the wake for a ruling by the Arkansas Secretary of State that found that the ballot measure sponsors did not follow the rules related to the number of legal signatures required to secure a place on the November ballot.
Luke Niforatos, Executive Vice President for SAM Action and spokesperson for Protect Arkansas Kids, stated, “Pot profiteers and their pro-drug allies have made it clear they’ll use any means necessary to inject more dangerous, psychoactive drugs into Arkansas communities. Their effort to mislead voters through a ballot measure title that’s incompatible with the full extent of the measure shows they don’t believe voters want commercial marijuana and THC drug shops flooding the state.
“While we fully believe the Secretary of State’s ruling rejecting the ballot measure on the grounds of insufficient signatures will be upheld, we feel it is imperative that these additional efforts to mislead the public be presented to the Court. The public has a right to know exactly what they are considering with their vote.
“If this dangerous ballot measure should become law, the addiction industry will replicate its playbook of preying on young people, low-income communities, and communities of color, with kid-friendly THC-laced candies, sodas, cookies, gummies, and other products that can have 99% potency. Everyone deserves a future free from addiction and Arkansas’ children need protection from those who seek to profit from with dangerous, debilitating drugs. We look forward to making our case before the Court.”