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Newsbrief:
Arkansas
Attorney
General
Rejects
Medical
Marijuana
Initiative
--
Again
11/21/03
For the second time in two
months, Arkansas Attorney General Mike Beebe has rejected the ballot title
and name of a proposed initiative that would legalize the use of marijuana
for medical purposes in the state. He rejected an earlier draft last
month.
But it could be that Beebe
simply doesn't want to see such an initiative come before the voters.
His reason for rejecting the initiative this time was that it was ambiguous,
he wrote. He cited a section of the initiative that says it "shall
not permit the medical use of marijuana that endangers the health or well-being
of another person, such as driving or operating heavy equipment while under
the influence of marijuana."
While the language appears
straightforward -- this initiative would not protect marijuana-impaired
driving -- Beebe pronounced himself baffled. "The scope and effect
of this provision are unclear, in my view," he wrote. He also wrote
that he was not sure how to interpret the phrase "shall not permit."
The initiative, drafted by
the Alliance for the Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas, would allow doctors
to advise patients they could be candidates for marijuana use and would
allow those patients to possess up to six plants or ounce of marijuana.
The Alliance hopes to get the initiative on the ballot for the November
2004 elections, but each delay makes that process more difficult.
Looks like it's back to the
drawing board for the Arkansas medical marijuana initiative -- or maybe
to the courthouse, if state elected officials continue to play semantic
games.
-- END --
|
Issue #312, 11/21/03
Editorial: One Step Too Far |
Harsh New Drug Bill About to Be Introduced in House |
Jamaica: Ganja Decrim is Moving Again |
Incident at Goose Creek: Fallout Continues in Aftermath of High School Drug Raid |
DRCNet Interview: Youth Sociologist Mike Males |
Call Campaign Targets Congressmen Voting Against Medical Marijuana |
Newsbrief: Methamphetamine Labs Are Not Weapons of Mass Destruction, North Carolina Judge Rules |
Newsbrief: California Judge to Run for Senate on Legalization Platform, Libertarian Ticket |
Newsbrief: Mexico City's Top Prosecutor Goes Off the Reservation -- Talks Legalization While Fox Government Vows Loyalty to Drug War |
Newsbrief: California to Quit Sending Parolees Back to Prison Over Drug Tests |
Newsbrief: Arkansas Attorney General Rejects Medical Marijuana Initiative -- Again |
Newsbrief: Filipino Senator Calls for Firing Squads in Continuing Escalation of Drug War Rhetoric |
Newsbrief: Reform Judaism National Body Endorses Medical Marijuana |
Media Scan: Jack Cole of LEAP on Cultural Baggage Radio Show Next Week |
DRCNet Temporarily Suspending Our Web-Based Write-to-Congress Service Due to Funding Shortfalls -- Your Help Can Bring It Back -- Keep Contacting Congress in
the Meantime |
Perry Fund Accepting Applications for 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 School Years, Providing Scholarships for Students Losing Aid Because of Drug Convictions |
The Reformer's Calendar
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