Arkansas Medical Cannabis News

The Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled that this year’s ballot initiative to expand medical cannabis access in the state is “misleading” and, while it’s too late to pull the initiative from state ballots, votes on the issue will not be counted.

An elections official in Arkansas said the petition to expand the state’s medical cannabis program had garnered enough signatures to qualify for November’s ballot. The state Supreme Court had ordered officials to continue verifying signatures after the secretary of state said previously the initiative failed to qualify.

Arkansas state officials said the ballot initiative to expand the state’s medical cannabis program was more than 2,000 signatures short of what’s needed to qualify for November’s ballot.

A campaign to change medical cannabis laws in Arkansas is pushing forward with additional signatures to expand medical cannabis access, aiming to ease patient certification and allow home cultivation.

Advocates with the Arkansas campaign to expand the state’s medical cannabis program have been given more time to collect additional signatures.

Arkansas advocates submitted more than 111,000 signatures in support of a ballot initiative that would dramatically expand the state’s medical cannabis program, including provisions to remove application fees for patients and enable home grows.

Arkansas cannabis advocates have filed a constitutional amendment that would legalize adult-use cannabis with the state attorney general’s office. If the ballot language is approved, the petition will require 90,704 valid voter signatures by July 5 to qualify for November’s ballot.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has approved a ballot initiative to enhance medical cannabis access, which includes a provision for the future legalization of adult-use cannabis contingent on federal decriminalization, aiming for a spot on the 2024 ballot.

A ballot initiative that would change Arkansas medical cannabis policy was rejected by the state’s Attorney General due to formatting and ambiguity issues. The initiative aims to expand medical cannabis access and trigger adult-use legalization if cannabis is federally legalized, and is supported by the state’s medical cannabis industry.

Arkansas is using medical cannabis tax revenues to fight food insecurity in the state, with $87 million sent to schools throughout the state to help students access low-cost or free lunches.

Arkansas medical cannabis sales have totaled $211.3 million so far this year, with the state having collected $23.5 million in cannabis tax revenue, according to state data.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) sent a letter to Division of Arkansas Crime Information Operations Director Rick Stallings outlining safety concerns with the decision to let medical cannabis patients carry concealed handguns.

A federal judge has blocked an Arkansas state law that sought to ban hemp-derived THC products. The move prevents any enforcement actions under the ban and will keep thousands of employees, farmers, business owners, and consumers from being made into criminals “despite no change in federal law.”

The average cost of medical cannabis in Arkansas fell to $4,545 per pound in June, down from $5,466 per pound in 2022. Additionally, dispensaries in the state sold about 5,149 pounds of medical cannabis in June, an increase from the 2022 monthly average of 4,212 pounds.

In response to Arkansas’ recent ban on hemp-derived THC products, several companies have filed suit against the state, claiming that the law violates the federal Farm Bill of 2018 and interstate commerce protections.

An Arkansas law banning hemp-derived THC products is set to take effect starting August 1. Under the law, hemp-derived delta-9, delta-8, and delta-10 THC products will be included on the state’s controlled substances list.

Under a new Arkansas state law, medical cannabis patients will be allowed to carry concealed handguns starting August 1.

An Arkansas judge last week voided 27 laws passed by lawmakers to amend the state’s voter-approved medical cannabis law in 2017, 2019, and 2021. The judge called the changes unconstitutional.

Arkansas medical cannabis sales during the first quarter of 2023 were up about 7% compared to the same time period last year.

A lawsuit filed in federal court by an Arkansas medical cannabis patient alleges that the state’s cannabis testing labs are inflating THC levels in cannabis products in order to inflate prices.

Arkansas lawmakers introduced a proposal to ban products containing delta-8, delta-9, and delta-10 THC which are not directly regulated by the state.

Arkansas voters rejected the state’s adult-use cannabis legalization measure on Tuesday.

A recent poll found that Arkansas voters may have cooled on the state’s upcoming cannabis legalization initiative as support for the initiative has dropped to 50.5%, about eight points lower than last month’s polling.

Arkansas’ medical cannabis sales, having already reached $205 million so far this year, are close to outpacing 2021’s sales record of $264.9 million.