Pubdate: Mon, 05 Nov 2012
Source: Times Record (Fort Smith, AR)
Copyright: 2012 Stephens Media Group
Contact: http://www.swtimes.com/site/forms/?mode=letters
Website: http://www.swtimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/529
Author: Rob Moritz

TUESDAY'S VOTE TO DECIDE THREE BALLOT PROPOSALS IN ARKANSAS

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:

* Create Sales Tax Anticipated Revenue (STAR) districts for
development or redevelopment projects.

* Have the ability to issue bonds to retire unfunded liabilities of
closed police and fire pension plans, and the ability to ask voters to
raise taxes to pay the bond debt.

* Use special revenues to pay principal and interest payments on
short-term debt obligations.

The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act, Issue 5 on the ballot, is a
proposed initiated act and would authorize the use of marijuana for
medical purposes and require the state Department of Health to set up
a system of nonprofit dispensaries that would distribute the marijuana
to people who have certain diseases or conditions.

A patient would qualify if a doctor certifies that the patient has
cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis-C, amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis, Tourette's syndrome, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis,
post traumatic stress disorder, fibromyalgia or Alzheimer's disease.

Marijuana also would be available for people suffering from a chronic
or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that
produces one or more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome;
peripheral neuropathy; severe nausea; seizures, including those
characteristic of epilepsy; or severe and persistent muscle spasms,
including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis.

The act specifies that the drug would also be available to treat
intractable pain, which is pain that has not responded to ordinary
medications, treatment or surgical measures for more than six months.

The measure would allow marijuana to be dispensed at no more than 30
dispensaries statewide.

The measure is opposed by the Coalition to Preserve Arkansas Values,
as well as the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce, several law enforcement
associations, the state drug czar and others.

The 14th annual Arkansas Poll released last month found that
respondents who considered themselves likely voters in Tuesday's
election preferred the sales tax increase for highway projects by a
margin of 53 percent to 42 percent. On the medical marijuana proposal,
53 percent said they opposed it and 43 percent said they supported
it.

The poll had a margin of error or plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
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MAP posted-by: Matt