In Less than a week, many are hopeful that Arkansas will become a new stronghold in the South for medical marijuana. The vote on Issue 5 comes only two years after a previous vote that ended with 51% of voters saying that they did not support medical marijuana in the state. Recent polls have shown that most people in Arkansas either strongly support or somewhat support medical marijuana in the state, 37% and 18% respectively. Hopefully these numbers will carry over onto Election Day and Arkansas will be a more productive and healthier state.
With such a close margin of defeat, activists have been very busy trying to establish a medical marijuana law in another Midwestern state. Activism is so high that more than 16 proposals for initiatives were submitted for the law, but only one made its way onto the ballot. This is a common trend in states, where bills proposed by state senators usually never make is out of committee, but initiatives show strong support for the bill.
Some Concerns Over the Concentrations
As usual opponents of the bill are worried about the health effects of marijuana, and about the potency of edibles that are allowed. In high doses marijuana edibles can have be highly sedative, which has unfortunately been used as a date rape drug. While these are fair arguments, and are concerns about many legal products and prescription drugs, but is not a widespread enough problem to deny those the right to alternative medical treatments.
Arkansas missed the deadline to be on the 2014 ballot, but has already secured a vote on medical marijuana vote for 2016. More than a thousand volunteers and activists are working in the state to spread the word about the benefits of medical marijuana for individuals suffering from a wide range of physical and psychological ailments. Scientists are working on PTSD and cancer treatments at the same time from the same plant. Very soon the Green House Seed Co seeds will be grown in every state.
Likely Arkansas will swing in favor of medical marijuana, and the final form of the bill will be a reflection of how well the systems in other states are going. According to a press release announcing the referendum is successfully on the ballot as the Arkansans for Compassionate Care act which has fewer loop holes than the 2012 bill. Also included in the bill are Cannabis Testing Labs that will help provide cleaner products and more controlled doses.
