The controversy surrounding the medical marijuana issue in Arkansas continued today with a lawsuit filed by several Christian conservative groups intent on removing the initiative from the ballot come November.
Last week the secretary of state determined that petitioners had received the requisite 62,000-plus registered voter signatures to ensure that medical marijuana would be on the ballot on Nov. 6. However, the Coalition to Preserve Arkansas Values contended in its filing that the issue is too lengthy, misleading and incomplete and in violation of state and federal law.
According to Arkansas News, the filing notes the 8,700-word length of the proposal which is deemed too long for any voter to have the time to read thoroughly enough to understand the potential impact.
Other issues include not stating that marijuana is a Schedule I substance and a person may be arrested for its use outside the medical marijuana law; that the proposal doesn’t include a portion to allow landowners to prohibit leasers based on medical marijuana use; and the Arkansas Medical Practice Act prohibits physicians from prescribing marijuana.
The filing also claims medical marijuana would be “stifling” to the enforcement of drug laws on both state and federal levels.
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Whatever happened to the American tradition of allowing controversial issues to be put to a vote, regardless of whether one was pro or con?