Pubdate: Tue, 01 Mar 2016
Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
Copyright: 2016 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.
Contact: http://www2.arkansasonline.com/contact/voicesform/
Website: http://www2.arkansasonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/25
Note: Accepts letters to the editor from Arkansas residents only
Author: Brian Fanney

ISSUES' BACKERS TAKING PETITIONS TO POLLS

Voters heading to the polls today will be asked to sign petitions on 
marijuana and term limits.

Of the 12 ballot measures -- initiated acts and constitutional 
amendments -- approved for the 2016 ballot by Arkansas Attorney 
General Leslie Rutledge and her predecessor, Dustin McDaniel, five 
are active, according to an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette survey.

Of those five, petitioners will collect signatures for at least three 
ballot measures during the primary: The Arkansas Medical Cannabis 
Act, The Arkansas Hemp and Cannabis Amendment, and the Arkansas Term 
Limits Amendment of 2016.

"Back in 2012, we were out getting signatures and we had so many 
young people, but people around my age were just like 'Oh no, oh no, 
oh no.' So many things have changed," said Melissa Fults, campaign 
director for Arkansans for Compassionate Care. "The number of people 
my age actually, probably, exceeds the young people that are signing it."

Fults, 61, supports the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act, which would 
allow marijuana to be used for medicinal purposes under a doctor's 
guidance. She is also a Democrat running for the District 27 House seat.

Arkansans for Compassionate Care pushed the 2012 Arkansas Medical 
Marijuana Act, which failed after receiving 49 percent of the vote in 
that year's general election.

Volunteers for the group have already collected more than 50,000 
signatures and will be at polls throughout the state today, Fults said.

"We're hoping to have our full 65,000 by the end of March," she said.

David Couch, sponsor of The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 
2016, said he will not be collecting signatures today. He said he is 
waiting for Rutledge to approve a ballot measure that would allow 
on-premise consumption of alcohol in dry counties and dry cities.

He said he will use paid canvassers to solicit signatures for both 
measures at the same time. The delay shouldn't be a problem, he said.

"In 2014, we collected 100,000 in 30 days," he said. "We've got 
plenty of time to get it done."

Couch worked with Fults on the 2012 medical marijuana measure, but 
the pair split over a "grow-your-own" provision.

Under Fults' proposal, a patient with a "Hardship Cultivation 
Certificate" would be able to grow up to 10 cannabis plants in an 
enclosed, locked facility. A dedicated caregiver would be allowed to 
cultivate the plants.

Hardship Cultivation Certificates would be provided by the Arkansas 
Department of Health "based on documentation of the Qualifying 
Patient's lack of access to a Nonprofit Cannabis Care Center," 
according to the proposal.

Nonprofit centers would serve as dispensaries.

"Mr. Couch's proposal is designed for a small number of people to 
make a lot of money on the backs of patients," she said. "There's no 
affordability clause."

Couch said the state is not ready for the grow-your-own provision, 
which could decrease the likelihood that a medical-marijuana 
provision would pass. He said his measure focuses on security.

Couch's measure does not specify how dispensaries can be run, but it 
would limit the number to 40 in the state. The Alcoholic Beverage 
Control Division of the Department of Finance and Administration 
would inspect the dispensaries.

"It doesn't allow individuals or dedicated caregivers to grow their 
own medical marijuana in their house," he said. "It's a totally closed system."

Meanwhile, Robert Reed, who submitted The Arkansas Hemp and Cannabis 
Amendment, said there will be about 20 volunteers asking for voters' 
signatures in Pulaski, Garland, Faulkner, Conway, Boone and Randolph counties.

Reed said his measure would establish the right to grow the cannabis 
plant but allows the Legislature to establish the rules for use, 
whether it's industrial, medical or recreational.

The amendment was approved by McDaniel in June 2014 -- a fact many 
people don't know, he said.

"Our biggest problem has been all the recent submittals," he said. 
"Every time there's a submittal, the media fails to mention that 
there is a seven-sentence amendment for full legalization."

Reed said he has about 4,000 signatures collected so far.

The Arkansas Hemp and Cannabis Amendment is distinct from The 
Arkansas Hemp and Marijuana Amendment submitted by Mary Berry, which 
was also approved by McDaniel, Reed said. He said Berry's measure 
allows anyone 21 and over to grow up to 36 plants.

Berry does not have a listed phone number and did not return a 
request for comment on Facebook.

Tim Jacob, spokesman for Arkansas Term Limits, said about 100 
canvassers will be collecting signatures for the Arkansas Term Limits 
Amendment of 2016.

He said that when legislators put Issue 3 on the ballot in 2014, they 
obscured the term-limit change, which allowed lawmakers to serve up 
to 16 years in the House, Senate or combination of terms in both.

People should sign the petition to "give the voters of this state a 
fair chance to make a decision they've already passed in two 
landslide elections," Jacob said.

The measure, which became Amendment 94 to the Arkansas Constitution, 
also prohibits elected officials from accepting certain gifts from 
lobbyists, prohibits direct campaign contributions from corporations 
and unions, and extends the cooling-off period for lawmakers before 
they can register as lobbyists.

Before Amendment 94, lawmakers had been limited to six years in the 
House and eight years in the Senate. Some senators had been able to 
serve 10 years if they drew a two-year term after winning in the 
election after once-per-decade redistricting.

The ballot measure proposed by Restore Term Limits would limit 
representatives to six years in office, senators to eight years and a 
maximum of 10 years for lawmakers who serve in both chambers. It also 
would prohibit the Legislature from putting future term-limit 
measures on the ballot.

For constitutional amendments, supporters need 84,859 verified 
signatures to make the ballot. Initiated acts require 50,916 
signatures. Both initiated ballot measures require signatures from at 
least 15 counties.

If a ballot measure receives enough valid signatures, it appears on 
the Nov. 8 ballot.

An initiated act creates a statute that may be altered or repealed by 
the Legislature by a two-thirds vote. An initiated amendment to the 
Arkansas Constitution may only be changed by another vote of the 
people unless otherwise specified.

If voters approve two conflicting ballot measures, the one with more 
votes becomes law.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom