Pubdate: Wed, 19 Sep 2012 Source: Paragould Daily Press (AR) Copyright: 2012 Paragould Daily Press Contact: http://www.paragoulddailypress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3239 Author: Caleb Taylor FAMILY FIRST GROUP LOOKS TO REMOVE MARIJUANA ISSUE FROM BALLOT A lawsuit by the Family First Foundation could keep a medical marijuana initiative off the ballot in November. Bill Wheeler, executive director of Family First, said he hoped the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled to remove the initiative from the ballot based on "ambiguities" in how the initiative was written. "Normally, an initiative will be about two pages long and this one was 10 to 12 pages long," Wheeler said. "The ballot title is a few hundred words and that is what people look at when people vote. You got an 8,000 word act and that is supposed to be reduced to brief and concise ballot title, but the ballot title does not reflect everything in the act." He said people could not read the entire act when voting and they would not know what was in the act just based on the title. Family First Foundation is a non-profit organization in Marion that advocates for family values issues. The Family Council Action Committee and the Arkansas Faith and Ethics Action Committee are also plaintiffs in the suit. Chris Kell, campaign strategist and spokesperson for Arkansans for Compassionate Care, called Wheeler's concerns about ambiguities in the ballot title "pretty absurd." ADVERTISEMENT "The [act] is 8,000 words and it cannot fit into the title," Kell said. "The Attorney General took it and re-wrote to better match the bill. You cannot put every provision in the ballot title or the ballot would be 20 to 30 pages long." According to its website, Arkansans for Compassionate Care is a coalition of concerned physicians, patients, and allies who agree that sick and dying patients should have access to medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation. In August, the Secretary of State's office verified that Arkansans for Compassionate Care submitted more than the minimum 62,000 signatures to get the initiative on the ballot in November. Medical marijuana supporters say the bill will only allow patients with a doctor's note to have access to marijuana, but opponents say passage would lead to increased access to marijuana for more than just sick people. "We are concerned that when you look at states that have passed similar laws, it becomes almost a joke about being able to go and get a prescription [for medical marijuana]," said Michael Cox, a preacher in Paragould and president of the Family First Foundation. "We are concerned about abuse with stores popping up everywhere selling it and concerned with regulations and how strict they will be. Kell said concerns about the abuse of medical marijuana were "ridiculous." "The reason the bill is so long is to regulate the way [medical marijuana is distributed]," Kell said. "It is controlled the way you get drugs through a pharmacy except instead you use a non-profit dispensary." Kell said qualifications for the use of medical marijuana in the bill included getting a prescription from a doctor and getting a registry identification card from the Arkansas Health Department. He said the bill allowed for one dispensary for every 25 pharmacies in the state with the health department able to increase the number of dispensaries based on need. According to Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act language, patients with a registry identification card would not be subject to criminal penalties for possession of marijuana as long the amount was no more than 2.5 ounces. Wheeler said he was not certain when the court would rule on the lawsuit but expects a decision before the end of the week. Federal law prohibits the use of marijuana for any reason, but 17 states and the District of Columbia allow the use of medical marijuana. If the initiative is approved by Arkansas voters, Arkansas would be the first southern state to allow the use of medical marijuana. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom