LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — An attempt to expand Arkansas medical marijuana The program did not meet the required signatures and will not be eligible for the November ballot, Secretary of State John Thurston said Monday.
Arkansans for Patient Access, the group behind the measure, said it planned to take legal action to appeal Thurston’s decision.
Thurston said in a letter to the measure’s sponsor that his office determined that only 88,040 of the signatures submitted by the group were valid, falling short of the 90,704 required from registered voters to qualify for the ballot.
The medical marijuana proposal aimed to expand a measure that state voters approved in 2016. It would have expanded the definition of medical professionals who can certify patients for medical cannabis, expanded qualification requirements and made medical cannabis cards valid for three years.
Arkansans for Patient Access has submitted more than 150,000 signatures in favor of the proposed change. The state told the group in July that it had not reached the required number, but that it had another 30 days to distribute petitions.
The group said the rejection of 20,000 signatures was due to an “arbitrary” last-minute rule change.
“The overwhelming support shown by the petition process proves that Arkansans want the opportunity to vote on expanded access to medical marijuana,” the group said in a statement. “Arkansans for Patient Access will continue to fight for their right to make that decision at the ballot box this November.”
The proposal’s rejection comes weeks after the state Supreme Court blocked a ballot measure that would have rolled back state power. abortion ban.
The Family Council Action Committee, an opponent of the marijuana measure, praised Thurston for rejecting the signatures but said it expected the final decision would come from the state Supreme Court.
“A measure this bad simply makes no sense for the vote,” Jerry Cox, director of the Family Council, said in a statement.
About half of US states allow recreational marijuana and a dozen more states have legalized medical marijuana. These numbers could increase after the November elections. Voters in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana for adults, and two medical marijuana proposals will go to a vote in Nebraska.