Arkansas voters reject recreational marijuana amendment

State turns down recreational pot

Arkansas voters rejected a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana Tuesday night, a resounding defeat for the state’s medical cannabis industry that backed the measure and a victory for social conservatives and those who saw the amendment as a giveaway to the state’s medical cannabis industry.

With 88% of votes counted, unofficial returns were:

AGAINST 480,960

FOR           375,070

The campaign against the amendment, also known as Issue 4, overcame millions of dollars in support from the state’s medical marijuana industry as well as a national trend showing support for legalization of the drug.

Along with the recreational marijuana amendment, voters also rejected Issue 1, which would have allowed the state Legislature to call itself back into session, and Issue 2, which would have changed the threshold to pass ballot measures from a simple majority to 60%. Issue 3, the religious freedom amendment, was too close to call at deadline.

Arkansas was one of five states to vote on legalizing marijuana Tuesday night.

For those who campaigned against the amendment, Tuesday’s results reflect that Arkansas, as a largely rural, conservative and religious state, is not ready to legalize the drug.

Many opponents of Issue 4 said marijuana was a “gateway” drug that would worsen the state’s addiction crisis. Others said they worried children would be able to get hold of it through parents because packaging would not have been childproof. [Read More @ The Arkansas Gazette]