Arkansas Supreme Court orders briefs in medical marijuana signature lawsuit

The Arkansas Supreme Court issued a preliminary injunction in litigation over a proposed medical marijuana amendment and ordered the secretary of state to review the signatures. “The Arkansas Secretary of State is directed to immediately begin reviewing the (~18,000) remaining signatures submitted during the cure period until the threshold of 90,704 or just above is reached,” the order states. The order also set a deadline of 12 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, for all parties to file briefs. The group Arkansas for Patient Access filed the lawsuit on Tuesday. On Monday, the Arkansas Secretary of State said some of the signatures submitted by the group were invalid and that the group had not reached the required number of valid signatures to be on the ballot. The lawsuit claims the group had the required number of valid signatures. Medical MarijuanaIn 2016, Arkansas voters approved a medical marijuana program. This change would expand this program. The change would have allowed more medical professionals to certify patients for medical cannabis. It would also allow marijuana card certification to be done through a telemedicine appointment. The change would have extended the validity of patient cards from one to three years, eliminating the need for annual medical certifications and card fees, thereby reducing patient costs. It also made it legal for patients to grow and process their own marijuana, up to one ounce.