Arkansas voters favor one cannabis measure over the other

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Arkansas could be one of three new states to legalize medical cannabis this November, and according to a new poll one of the two ballot initiatives that would do so is much more popular with voters.

An ABC affiliate reported that the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment, which is supported by Arkansans United for Medical Marijuana, is backed by 49% of voters, with 43% opposing it and 8% unsure, according to the latest Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College Survey.

Meanwhile, only 36% of voters support the rival measure, the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act, while 53% oppose the initiative and 11% are undecided.

Jay Barth, a political science professor at Hendrix College, said the polling results “show that Arkansas voters are conscious of the differences between” the dueling initiatives.

He noted that while most voters are supporting either both or neither, a “full quarter of those opposing (the Medical Cannabis Act) say they will vote for” the Medical Marijuana Amendment.

Some 8% of the act’s supporters, meanwhile, say they won’t vote for the amendment.

Contrary to the general political rule of thumb, it’s possible that one MMJ measure may pass while the other fails.

“It appears that another close call awaits … four years after Arkansans’ last consideration of the issue,” Barth wrote, referring to when a 2012 MMJ initiative failed at the ballot box.