Recreational marijuana legalization will likely be on the November ballot for Arkansas.
Responsible Growth Arkansas which proposed the Adult Use Marijuana Amendment collected over 190,000 signatures to get the amendment on the November ballot.
This amendment to the Arkansas constitution would allow recreational users of marijuana to possess up to an ounce of cannabis flower and medical users can possess an additional 2.5 ounces from the medical marijuana amendment passed in 2016.
The new amendment would also repeal the dosage limit and other restrictions on the making of cannabis products as long as the containers are childproof and advertisement as long as it is not advertised to children.
Up to 40 new dispensary licenses would be allowed to be distributed on top of the current dispensaries.
It would also increase the cultivation facilities to 12.
It would also prevent local governments from changing zoning ordinances to prevent a cannabis dispensary or cultivator to be built.
A sales tax of 10 percent in addition to the current tax on goods will be applied.
Of this new tax, 10 percent will go to fund law enforcement, 10 percent will go to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and 5 percent will help fund drug court programs.
If this amendment passes it would go into effect on Nov. 18, 2022, and will affect current cultivators, dispensaries, and their products on March 8, 2023.
The Responsible Growth Arkansas amendment is different from the Arkansas True Grass amendment which failed to receive enough signatures.
The failed ballot initiative would have removed cannabis charges from criminal records in Arkansas, allowed for unlimited cultivators and dispensaries as well as allowed Arkansans to grow their own cannabis.