LITTLE ROCK - Voters will decide a pair of proposed constitutional amendments referred by the Legislature and a citizen initiative to legalize marijuana for medical use in Tuesday's general election. One constitutional proposal, Issue 1 on the ballot, would increase the state sales tax from 6 percent to 6.5 percent for 10 years to finance a $1.8 billion bond issue to build a statewide system of four-lane highways. Issue 2 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow cities and counties to do three things: [continues 353 words]
LITTLE ROCK - Supporters of a proposed ballot measure that would legalize marijuana for medical use said they were confident Tuesday that enough additional signatures had been gathered to get their proposal on the Nov. 2 ballot. The deadline to turn them in is 5 p.m. today. "Given that there was only a month to collect the kind of signatures we needed ... I'm pleased with where we're at," said former state Sen. John Riggs, who has been helping in the campaign. [continues 423 words]
The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday reversed a state Court of Appeals decision that granted benefits to a construction worker who smoked crack cocaine the night before he was injured while working on a house. The high court said more evidence was needed to prove that the Saline County man's drug use played no part in the accident. On June 5, 1997, Vernon Woodall of near Benton was helping his supervisor build a roof on a house in the Otter Creek subdivision off Highway 5 in Pulaski County when the scaffolding they were standing on collapsed. [continues 310 words]
One Plan Would Allow Possession Without Doctor's Prescription The state attorney general's office is considering two proposed initiated acts that would legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. One, filed by a North Little Rock man Sept. 14, would allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes without a doctor's prescription and would reduce the penalty for possession of a half-ounce or less to a $75 fine. The second, filed Tuesday by the Alliance for Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas of Fayetteville, would allow the medical use of marijuana with a doctor's prescription. [continues 524 words]
