A lawsuit has been filed by Arkansans for Patient Access with the Arkansas Supreme Court challenging Secretary of State John Thurston’s refusal to count approximately 18,000 remaining signatures for an amendment to expand the state medical marijuana program. Thurston claimed the group was short of the required number of signatures due to paperwork technicalities. The lawsuit argues that state law does not prohibit agents from signing documents on behalf of sponsors, citing various instances where agents of Thurston and Attorney General Tim Griffin carried out official duties. The lawsuit seeks to expedite the matter and have the signatures counted by a special master. The amendment would broaden access to the state medical marijuana program by allowing additional medical professionals to certify patients and expanding qualifying conditions. It would also extend the duration of the medical marijuana card, eliminate fees, and remove restrictions on dispensaries selling pre-rolled joints. The group had submitted over 111,000 signatures initially and was granted a 30-day cure period to collect more signatures, of which they submitted nearly 39,000. However, Thurston later invalidated 18,000 signatures collected during the cure period, leading to the current legal challenge. If successful, the lawsuit could potentially secure the remaining signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot.
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Photo credit arktimes.com
