(This story has been updated to reflect that Melissa Fults, not Arkansas NORML, filed the amendment.)
A proposed amendment was filed in Arkansas that would legalize adult-use marijuana and create a new market for cannabis businesses.
The measure filed Thursday with the secretary of state’s office – the Arkansas Adult Use and Expungement Marijuana Amendment – would allow for at least one cannabis retailer per 15,000 residents and one cultivation facility per 300,000 residents, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
The proposed amendment, filed by Melissa Fults, a board member of marijuana advocacy group Arkansas NORML, would also legalize cannabis possession for adults and allow anyone with certain marijuana-related misdemeanor or felony convictions to ask the courts for relief from the conviction.
This marks the third recreational-marijuana proposal attempting to make the 2022 ballot in Arkansas.
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Responsible Growth Arkansas filed a statement of organization with the state’s ethics commission in October but has yet to file a proposed amendment with the secretary of state’s office.
And Arkansas True Grass filed the proposed Arkansas Recreational Marijuana Amendment of 2022. The proposal would also legalize adult-use but wouldn’t limit the number of cannabis companies.
That group has started gathering the 89,151 signatures needed to qualify for the 2022 ballot. The deadline for signatures is July 8.
