The Arkansas attorney general approved ballot language for a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize the growing, selling and use of marijuana as well as the release of state prisoners serving sentences for marijuana-related crimes.
On Monday, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced that the Arkansas Cannabis Amendment was eligible to be circulated as a petition for signature-gathering, the next step in getting the proposal on the November general election ballot. The proposal would allow anyone 21 and older to get a permit to grow up to 36 marijuana plants as well as sell the product of those plants.
The sponsor, Mary Berry, had the ballot language for an earlier version of this approved by then-Attorney General Dustin McDaniel.
This iteration of the amendment, which would absolve offenders of state marijuana laws, is among several proposed ballot measures regarding the drug.
Two medical marijuana measures have been approved. One would allow citizens to grow their own medical marijuana, while the other one proposes that medical marijuana be regulated through licensed dispensaries.
To get her measure on the ballot, Berry will need to obtain 84,859 verified signatures from eligible Arkansas voters across the state.
Metro on 04/26/2016