Arkansas election officials approved a second ballot initiative for this fall to legalize medical marijuana, a situation that some cannabis advocates predict could sink both measures by splitting the vote.
Secretary of State Mark Martin’s office signed off Wednesday on the latest initiative – which is backed by Arkansans United for Medical Marijuana – saying it had met the threshold of 84,859 valid signatures, the Associated Press reported.
Marijuana Policy Project Executive Director Rob Kampia has predicted that having two competing measures on the ballot would result in “a definite loss” for both initiatives.
David Couch, the sponsor of the initiative approved Wednesday, isn’t worried. “I don’t think there will be any problem differentiating between the two,” Couch said, according to the AP.
Both initiatives would permit patients with certain medical conditions to buy MMJ, but there are key differences. For instance, the AP noted that the measure approved in July allows patients to grow their own MMJ if they don’t live near a dispensary. Wednesday’s measure doesn’t.
