Arkansas Medical Marijuana Ballot Falls Short Of Necessary Signatures, Legal Battle Looms
In a disappointing turn for proponents of expanded medical marijuana access, Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston announced Monday that the initiative, known as Issue 3, failed to meet the threshold of the required signatures to be placed on the November ballot. The petition, submitted by Arkansans for Patient Access, fell short by 2,664 valid signatures. The group needed 90,704 to qualify.
Thurston’s office confirmed that only 88,040 were valid after a 30-day cure period. “Our office determined that 10,521 signatures submitted during the cure period were valid,” Thurston stated, according to KUAR. Combined with earlier validations, the total remained insufficient.
Arkansans For Patient Access Disputes Exclusion
Arkansans for Patient Access had initially submitted over 150,000 signatures from all 75 counties. They now argue that excluding approximately 20,000 valid signatures due to what they call an “arbitrary, last-minute clerical rule change” is unjust. In a statement, the group said this exclusion is “unfair and contrary to the democratic process.”
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