Martin’s office said the proposal had turned in 72,309 valid signatures, qualifying it for additional time to gather signatures.
Advertisement
Couch needed 63,725 valid signatures to qualify for a 30-day extension. I now have in hand more than enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.
It shouldn’t be a problem to submit the remaining signatures by August 28, he said in an interview.
Rutledge’s certification clears the way for supporters to begin gathering signatures to try and put the measure on the 2018 ballot.
After he submitted 99,626 signatures on July 8, he continued collecting signatures.
Robert Coon with Impact Management, a local PR firm hired by the group to aid the effort, said, “Our campaign has covered significant ground in a short period of time because voters across the state understand the positive impact this proposal will have in the form of jobs, economic growth, tourism, and tax revenue”, according to the release.
The goal is about 95,000 valid signatures, he said Thursday.
A rival measure to legalize medical marijuana, a proposed initiated act sponsored by the group Arkansans for Compassionate Care, qualified for the ballot last month.
The secretary of state’s office is still reviewing signatures submitted for two other proposed amendments, one to legalize medical marijuana and the other to limit damages awarded in medical lawsuits.
The main difference between the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act and the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment is that the act would allow Arkansans to grow their own plants for medicinal purposes.
Advertisement
The Christian conservative Family Council Action Committee has said it will campaign against any medical-marijuana measures that make the ballot. Jerry Cox, the committee’s executive director, said the amendment would open the door to recreational marijuana in the state. “This amendment establishes a powerful marijuana industry in Arkansas, and it puts that industry largely beyond the reach of Arkansas’ lawmakers and citizens”.
