Arkansas Campaign to Enhance Medical Cannabis Industry Submits Additional Signatures

The campaign seeking to make changes to Arkansas’ medical cannabis industry last week submitted an additional 38,933 signatures to the secretary of state’s office, the Arkansas Advocate reports. The campaign in July submitted 108,512 signatures, of which 77,000 were verified by Secretary of State John Thurston’s staff from registered voters. 

Arkansas for Patient Access needed 90,704 total signatures from registered voters to get the issue on November ballots and, in accordance with state law, were given an additional 30 days to collect the additional signatures because their initial submission contained at least 75% of the required total.  

The proposed constitutional amendment would allow physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists to certify patients for medical cannabis cards, permit health care providers to conduct patient assessments via telemedicine, and providers could qualify patients based on medical need rather than the 18 qualifying conditions currently outlined by the state. 

The amendment would also allow patients and designated caregivers 21-and-older to cultivate up to seven mature and seven immature cannabis plants and seven young plants and would eliminate patient ID card application fees and extend the term of the card to three years. 

In a statement, Arkansas for Patient Access said advocates “will work tirelessly until the polls close on November 5th to inform and educate voters.”  

“We are confident that when they learn the details of this amendment,” the news release said, “they will enthusiastically support it.”