Arkansas AG approves wording of second MJ legalization proposal

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has approved the wording of a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize both recreational and medical marijuana, the Associated Press reported.

It is the second legalization initiative to win the green light to proceed this year in Arkansas, provided that supporters gather enough signatures to place the measures on the November ballot.

In February, Rutledge approved the wording of a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana. She had rejected the five previous MMJ proposals submitted to her, asserting in each case that their titles were too ambiguous.

Backers of both measures must collect 85,000 signatures from registered voters in Arkansas to get the measures before voters in November.

Monday’s proposed constitutional amendment would legalize the cultivation, production, distribution, sale and possession of marijuana. The measure also proposes a 5% excise tax on recreational marijuana sales, but no state taxes on medical marijuana sales.

In a poll released last November, 68% percent of Arkansas voters supported medical cannabis legalization, while 26% were opposed. In November 2012, however, Arkansas voters rejected a medical marijuana measure by a margin of 51% to 49%.