Measure to expand medical marijuana in Arkansas won’t qualify for the ballot

Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An effort to expand Arkansas’ medical marijuana program has failed to qualify for the November ballot. Secretary of State John Thurston on Monday said organizers hadn’t submitted enough valid signatures to qualify. Arkansans for Patient Access said it planned to take legal action to appeal Thurston’s decision. The proposed constitutional amendment was aimed at expanding a measure that Arkansas voters approved in 2016. The proposal would have broadened the definition of medical professionals who can certify patients for medical cannabis and expand qualifying conditions. About half of U.S. states allow recreational marijuana and a dozen more have legalized medical marijuana.