Last Updated April 14, 2004

The Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana faces a July 2, 2004 deadline to gather nearly 65,000 signatures for an initiative to be placed on the November election ballot. The group haggled with Arkansas Attorney General Mike Beebe over the language for the initiative, which is now called the "Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act."  The measure would create state identification cards for medical marijuana users, who would be allowed to use the drug without being arrested or prosecuted for it.

The Act would consider a person a qualified medical-marijuana patient if his doctor found that he had a "debilitating medical condition," including cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS or another chronic or debilitating disease that causes severe pain. The patient or his "marijuana provider" could legally possess, grow and transport up to six plants or one ounce of usable marijuana per person.

A 2001 poll by University of Arkansas researchers showed 63 percent of participants favored the proposal while only 32 percent opposed it.  Arkansas medical marijuana activists twice attempted to introduce ballot initiatives, in 2000 and 2002. Both efforts failed to gather enough signatures to appear before voters.

Arkansas' Drug Policy Reform Organizations: 

• Alliance for Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas
• Drug Policy Education Group, Inc