The Arkansas Secretary of State called the legalization measure insufficient

The Arkansas Secretary of State said Tuesday that a proposed measure to legalize recreational cannabis in the state is not enough to qualify for this year’s vote.

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports that Secretary of State John Thurston said, “In a statement Tuesday in the Arkansas Supreme Court, the proposed constitutional amendment is inadequate because the State Board of Election Commissioners did not confirm the electoral title and popular name.”

A spokesman for Thurston told the Democrat Gazette that “he expects the statement to be filed with the state Supreme Court on Tuesday” and that “the Secretary of State believes the statement is a formality that the state Supreme Court goes through and not.” believe the statement will be the final decision on the recreational marijuana issue.”

On Monday, the state Supreme Court “issued a Kuriam opinion stating that the court issued a subpoena to the Secretary of State’s office to determine whether the proposed initiative motion is sufficient,” the Democrat Gazette reported.

The foreign minister’s statement represents the latest development in a protracted battle over the legalization proposal.

Last month, the Arkansas Supreme Court said the measure will actually appear on that state’s ballot — but the votes may not actually be counted.

The Fort Smith Times Record reports that the Supreme Court’s decision on whether or not to count votes “could be decided as early as Thursday.”

The advocacy group behind the proposal, Responsible Growth Arkansas, filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court last month after the Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners rejected its name and title.

In July, the group submitted nearly thousands of signatures to the Board of Election Commissioners, which rejected the proposal on the grounds that the title did not adequately explain what the measure would achieve if passed.

The Associated Press reported that the commissioners were “concerned that the amendment would remove the state’s current limit under its Medical Marijuana Amendment on how much THC is allowed in edible marijuana products.”

“The kind of detail that the board expected or requested in this case would make our ballot thousands and thousands of words long,” Steven Lancaster, attorney for Responsible Growth Arkansas, said last month. “That’s just not practical for a vote.”

“You will see the Responsible Growth Arkansas measure on your ballot. They will be able to cast a vote,” Lancaster said last month, as quoted by local broadcaster 4029 News. “But what will happen in the meantime is that the Supreme Court will make its decision and if they agree with us that our ballot is good then the votes will count. Otherwise, if the court decides that our ballot is insufficient, they will simply never count those votes.”

“I am confident that once the court looks at this, we will agree that our ballot is in order,” Lancaster added. “So once again I am confident that … the votes will be counted in November.”

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported this week that “Lancaster remains confident the court will decide to keep the issue of recreational marijuana on the ballot.”

Should the votes be counted in November, there is good reason to believe that legalization is coming to Arkansas.

A poll conducted earlier this year found that a majority of registered voters in the state — 53.5% — believe weed should be legal for adults 21 and older, while 32% said cannabis should only be legal for medicinal purposes , and 10.5% said cannabis should only be legal for medical reasons. said that for some reason it should be largely illegal.