Pubdate: Wed, 07 Nov 2012
Source: Times Record (Fort Smith, AR)
Copyright: 2012 Stephens Media Group
Contact: http://www.swtimes.com/site/forms/?mode=letters
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Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/529
Author: Jeannie Nuss

MEDICAL-MARIJUANA SUPPORTERS SAY THEY'LL TRY AGAIN IN ARKANSAS

LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas failed to become the first southern state to
legalize medical marijuana this week, but the narrow loss didn't
discourage the measure's supporters who said Wednesday they plan to
tweak their proposal and try again.

"We'll try to get it through the General Assembly and if that doesn't
work, we'll take it back to the people," said Chris Kell, campaign
strategist for Arkansans for Compassionate Care, the group advocating
for the medical marijuana measure.

Voters in Tuesday's election narrowly rejected the measure that would
have allowed patients with qualifying conditions to buy marijuana from
nonprofit dispensaries with a doctor's recommendation. More Arkansas
voters cast ballots for the medical marijuana measure than they did
for President Barack Obama, with more than 500,000 voters in favor of
the marijuana issue and about 390,000 votes cast for Obama.

"I think this vote just shows that it's really not as controversial as
everybody thought," Kell said.

The measure saw the strongest support in Arkansas' urban areas and in
a handful of Mississippi Delta counties, while rural areas
overwhelmingly rejected the proposal.

"If the campaign had been extended a little longer, I believe the
margin by which it was defeated might have been greater," said Jerry
Cox, one of the chief opponents of the measure.

Kell said when bringing the measure to the Capitol or the people next
time, they might do away with a provision that would allow patients to
grow marijuana if they live more than five miles from a dispensary.

"I really think the grow-your-own was the scariest aspect for most
folks," he said Wednesday.

However, he said he didn't think that most people who lived more than
five miles from a dispensary would have grown their own marijuana anyway.

"I go to the grocery store to buy cabbage. I don't grow it at my house
even though I've got a garden," Kell said. "Just as a matter of
convenience, I think most people, even outside of that five-mile
range, if they had the ability to make it to a dispensary, I think
they would have."

Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe, who opposed the medical marijuana
proposal, said he was surprised by the amount of support for the
legalization measure. Beebe said his opposition was driven primarily
by the estimated cost to the state and the conflict it would have
created with federal law.

"There are some legitimate arguments in terms of health care
compassion that I don't quarrel with at all," Beebe told reporters
Wednesday.

Arkansas voters on Tuesday also approved a sales tax increase to pay
for $1.8 billion in highway repairs throughout the state.

They rejected a proposal referred by the Legislature that would have
allowed cities to create development districts backed by expected
sales tax revenue.
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