Medical Marijuana Okayed in Arkansas by Court

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On Thursday, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that a proposal to legalize medical marijuana can be on the November ballot, creating possibilities for Arkansas to be the first southern state to allow medical marijuana to patients in justifiable cases.

The measure had been challenged by The Coalition to Preserve Arkansas Values in a lawsuit filed in August which wanted to block the measure from going to ballot by arguing that the title of the measure, the ‘Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act,’ was misleading and ambiguous. The arguments of the challenging group were rejected by the court in a unanimous ruling.

Writing on behalf of the court, Associate Justice Karen R. Baker wrote that the title was neither “duly long, nor is it complex or misleading.”

  

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The Arkansans for Compassionate Care, the group fighting to legalize medical marijuana in the state welcomed the decision of the court. Christopher Kell, spokesman of the group, said “It just goes to show that if you respect the system, and follow the rules, things will come out in your favor.” He added, “We are excited that it has cleared the latest hurdle and now we are looking forward to educating the voters and getting it passed on November 6^th.”

If the measure wins approval of the voters in November, then serious patients suffering from pain like AIDS and cancer patients would be able to purchase marijuana from medical dispensaries without a doctor’s prescription.

However, the Coalition to Preserve Arkansas Values still disapproves of the measure and a member of the group said, “This is about the first incremental step to legalizing marijuana for recreational use.”

And, of course, the heavens are going to fall apart and apocalypse arrive, if that ever happens in this country.

A survey conducted in July by “Talk Business,” an Arkansas television show, and the Hendrix college found that 47 percent of those surveyed opposed legalizing medical marijuana, 46 percent opposed it, and 7 percent failed to decide either for or against the issue.