LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — A poll from Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College surveyed close to a thousand Arkansas voters.
It asked: "What do you think should be the legal status of marijuana in Arkansas?"
A majority of respondents, 54%, said it should be legal for adults, while 32% said it should only be allowed for medical use, and 11% said it should be illegal.
With the legality of marijuana looking more like a possibility this year, we decided to find out what this could mean for local growers, and how it could get on the ballot.
River Valley Relief is a Fort Smith cultivator... growing and processing marijuana for Arkansas dispensaries.
"It's been a lot of work, but the really cool thing is that we grow a product, a medicine, that really, really helps people," said Storm Nolan with River Valley Relief.
With this new poll showing more people wanting to legalize marijuana, growers are hoping and preparing for this budding industry to bloom. Nolan tells us River Valley Relief has a plan to expand if needed.
"If you look at other states that went from medical to adult-use, sometimes you'd see a 2-3 times increase in the amount of product being sold," said Nolan.
There are five petitions that have been filed with the Secretary of State's office to legalize marijuana:
- The Arkansas Recreational Marijuana Amendment of 2022 — filed May 22, 2020, by Arkansas True Grass
- Arkansas Cannabis Industry Amendment — filed May 25, 2021, by Clair Danner
- Arkansas Adult Use and Expungement Marijuana Amendment — filed Nov. 4, 2021
- Arkansas Marijuana Amendment 2022 — filed Dec. 29, 2021
- An Amendment to Authorize the Possession, Personal Use, and Consumption of Cannabis by Adults, to Authorize the Cultivation and Sale of Cannabis by Licensed Commercial Facilities, and to Provide for the Regulation of those Facilities — filed Jan. 24, 2022
Melissa Fults is a sponsor for the Arkansas Marijuana Amendment of 2022.
"We're reforming the medical and then oh, while we're at it, let's throw recreational in with it," said Fults.
The amendment would expand health conditions for medical marijuana license consideration, end taxation of medical marijuana and limit it for recreational use, require dispensaries to sell both medical and recreational products, and expunge criminal records for those possessing 16 ounces of marijuana or less... or six plants or less.
So now that a petition is filed, it must receive 89,151 signatures from Arkansans. It will then go to the election commission where they will either approve or deny if it gets on the ballot.