Arkansas governor signs two medical marijuana bills into law

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Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed two medical marijuana bills this week that will make it easier for doctors to recommend MMJ and pushed back the deadline for rulemaking governing the new program.

The first measure, House Bill 1026, extends the deadline for rules to be finalized to 180 days from 120 days after last November’s election, when Arkansas voters approved a constitutional amendment establishing the new MMJ program, Little Rock TV station KATV reported.

That means the launch of the Arkansas MMJ program will be delayed by at…

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Arkansas Governor Signs Law Delaying Enactment of Voter-Approved Medical Marijuana Initiative

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Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (arkansas.gov)

NORML | January 26, 2017

LITTLE ROCK, AR — Lawmakers passed legislation this week to delay the enactment of the state’s voter-initiated medical cannabis program.

The bill was signed into law Monday by Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson

House Bill 1026, now Act 4, postpones the implementation of the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment by 60 days.

Under the new timeline, regulators have until July 1, 2017 to begin accepting applications from those…

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Lawmakers Try to Delay Enactment of Voter Approved Marijuana Laws

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Paul Armentano | January 18, 2017

Legislators in a number of states are pushing forward measures to delay the enactment of several voter-initiated marijuana laws.

In Arkansas, House lawmakers are moving forward with legislation, House Bill 1026, to postpone the deadline for establishing the state’s new medical marijuana program by 60 days. Fifty-three percent of voters approved Issue 6 on Election Day, which called on lawmakers to regulate the production and dispensing of medical cannabis within 120 days.

In…

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Arkansas to start with five medical cannabis cultivation licenses

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Each of Arkansas’ five health regions will initially be allotted a marijuana cultivation facility license, officials with the state’s medical cannabis program announced this week.

Under the medical marijuana law voters passed last month, Arkansas must license four to eight cultivation facilities and 20-40 dispensaries.

The commission tasked with developing the nascent MMJ industry in Arkansas decided to proceed with caution by awarding just five cultivation permits at first, though that may be revisited later.


Marijuana Business License DirectoryThe state is under the…

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New Market: Smooth rollout expected for Arkansas MMJ industry

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Arkansas state flag

This is the second article in a series looking at the potential cannabis market in each of the eight states that approved recreational or medical marijuana initiatives in the 2016 election. Check back each week through mid-January for new entries. Click here for previous installments. 

By Bart Schaneman

The Arkansas medical marijuana industry is expected to experience a smooth launch and will likely serve a small, but not tiny, market.

After a previous legalization measure failed narrowly in 2012, voters in the Bible Belt state passed an…

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Sore Losers: Some State Leaders Challenging Marijuana Election Results

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Paul Armentano | November 28, 2016

Political leaders in several states are threatening to thwart the implementation of voter-approved initiatives specific to the regulation of marijuana.

In Massachusetts, where voters decided 54 percent to 46 percent on election day to legalize the cultivation, use, and retail sale of cannabis by adults, politicians have suggested amending the law and delaying its implementation. Specifically, lawmakers have called for pushing back the date when adults may legally begin growing…

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Voters In Eight States Approve Marijuana Law Reform In Unprecedented Election Victories

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NORML | November 10, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Millions of Americans cast votes on Election Day in favor of sweeping statewide marijuana law reforms.

Voters in four states: California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada approved ballot measures legalizing the adult use of cannabis and licensing its commercial production and retail sale. Voters in four additional states: Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and North Dakota approved initiatives legalizing and/or expanding the use and dispensing of cannabis for therapeutic…

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Arkansas health department to oversee new MMJ industry

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The day after Arkansas voters approved legalized medical marijuana, the state’s Department of Health unveiled plans for how it will set up the necessary infrastructure to launch the new MMJ industry and regulate it once businesses are up and running.


Conference Deadline ApproachingThe Department of Health said it will take several months to establish a regulatory system that ultimately will oversee labeling and testing, develop a conditions list, and monitor a library for dispensaries to verify how much cannabis is doled out to cardholders, television station KFSM…

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Four States End Marijuana Prohibition, Three Adopt Medical Marijuana Laws in Historic Election

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Marijuana Policy Project | November 9, 2016

WASHINGTON — California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada voted to end marijuana prohibition and Arkansas, Florida, and North Dakota adopted medical marijuana laws Tuesday in the most momentous election to date for marijuana policy reform.

Montana approved an initiative to re-establish patients’ access to medical marijuana providers, which was hindered by state lawmakers, and create a more regulated system of medical marijuana production and distribution.

As of 4:30…

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Marijuana Wins Big on Election Night

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Drug Policy Alliance | November 9, 2016

This Election Day was a watershed moment for the movement to end marijuana prohibition, with the results expected to accelerate efforts to legalize marijuana in states across the U.S., at the federal level, and internationally.  Overall, legalization initiatives prevailed in four out of five states, and medical marijuana initiatives prevailed in all four states this year.

Votes are still being counted for legalization initiatives in Maine and Arizona, as well as for a medical…

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Latest Polling Information for the 2016 Marijuana Related Ballot Proposals

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Danielle Keane | November 5, 2016

On Tuesday, November 8, nine states will be voting on marijuana related ballot proposals potentially doubling the number of states that allow the recreational use of marijuana and expanding the therapeutic benefits of marijuana use to millions of Americans. Here’s where these measures stand in the latest polls.

Arizona: According to an October Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite poll, 50 percent of registered voters in Arizona favor Proposition 205 and 42 percent oppose it. The…

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Election 2016: Marijuana Law Reform Takes Center Stage

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Drug Policy Alliance | November 2, 2016

This Election Day is shaping up to be a watershed moment for efforts to end marijuana prohibition, with five states voting on marijuana legalization and four more on medical marijuana. The results are expected to have major ramifications for marijuana law reform in states across the U.S., at the federal level, and even internationally.

A recent nationwide Gallup poll found that a record 60 percent of respondents support legalizing marijuana, but polls on this year’s…

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Arkansas high court nixes one of two medical marijuana initiatives

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Arkansas’ Supreme Court disqualified one of two medical cannabis legalization ballot initiatives, leaving a lone measure for voters to decide on and perhaps improving its chances of success.

The high court ruled 5-2 on Thursday that roughly 12,000 signatures submitted by Arkansans for Compassionate Care were invalid, meaning its measure, designated as Issue 7, doesn’t have enough signatures and won’t appear on the ballot next month, the Associated Press reported.


Conference Deadline ApproachingThe ruling was made after almost 142,000 people had participated in…

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