Little Rock, AR — The Arkansas Supreme Court is expected to rule on a case on the proposed medical marijuana amendment, as both lawyers for Arkansans for Patient Access and the office of the Arkansas Attorney General.
Arkansans for Patient Access (APA), the sponsor of the amendment sued John Thurston, Arkansas Secretary of State following his denial to count about 18,000 signatures. That denial put APA under by more than 2,000 signatures not allowing it to be place on the ballot for Arkansans.
Thurston sited a paperwork error for not counting the signatures, but APA argues what they turned in has been allowed in other proposed amendments.
The law being disputed revolves around paperwork that would verify that the paid canvassers had no disqualifying features.
In a court filing, APA said, “Nothing in the statutes governing initiative petitions dictates who may serve as a sponsor’s agent for complying with the requirements to place an initiative on the ballot.”
“APA thus had the same general authority to appoint an agent of its choice that any entity enjoys under generally applicable law,” the Arkansas Attorney General’s office, whom is representing Thurston, wrote in its court filing.
“Thus, the question is actually whether those directors, officers, and employees can then assign the statutory duties under § 7-9-601(b)(3) to a third party — specifically a paid canvasser.”
Sarah Huckabee-Sanders, Governor of Arkansas appointed Republican lawyer Don Curdie as a special justice in the case to replace Justice Courtney Hudson, and Bilenda Harris-Ritter to replace Chief Justice John Dan Kemp, who also recused himself from the case.
The amendment, if voted in favor of, would extend the time before having to renew a medical marijuana card to one year from three years. While also legalizing use recreationally if/when the federal government ends it prohibition against marijuana. The amendment will appear as Issue 3 if the Ark. Supreme Court rules in favor of APA.