Pros and cons of Arkansas ballot issues

To do your homework before getting to ballot box, you can look up the ballot at voterview.ar-nova.org/, typing in your voter information (name, date of birth), and then scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on the sample ballot.

The front of the ballot is federal, state and local candidates. Not all city council candidates’ names are on the ballot—only those who have opposition. There is a box to check to vote for all unopposed city council candidates.

The first three ballot issues were proposed by the Arkansas Legislature and the fourth was a voter initiative petition. A summary of the ballot issues provided by the Public Policy Center at the non-partisan University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service explains:

Issue 1: Giving State Senators and Representatives Authority to Call Special Legislative Sessions

What supporters say:

• The last year has really shown us why this is so necessary and why so many people have signed on, just to be able to give ourselves an option to be what we are supposed to be, which is an equal branch of government.
• If a governor is overstepping his/her bounds with executive action powers, then the ability for the state legislature to call itself into special session would be a stop point to an overzealous governor.

What opponents say:

• In Arkansas, our current constitution provides for a part-time legislature that meets in general session once every two years and in fiscal session in the alternating years.
• The legislature does enough damage during regular sessions and its perpetual committee meetings. This would convert it into really a full-time legislature.

Issue 2: Requiring 60 percent Voter Approval for Constitutional Amendments and Citizen Proposed State Laws.

What supporters say:

• It’s a much-needed safeguard for our initiative and constitutional amendment process. It is entirely too easy to amend our state constitution. We shouldn’t amend our constitution in some sort of willy-nilly fashion.
• The state’s lenient rules make it vulnerable to big money and out-of-state interests that would want to hijack our process and push their own pet projects and hobby horse issues.

Issue 2 is opposed by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. AACF is part of Protect AR Rights protectarrights.org/, a coalition of local grassroots and nonprofit groups opposing Issue 2.

Issue 3:  A Constitutional Amendment to Create the “Arkansas Religious Freedom Amendment.

What supporters say:

• Courts and opinions change over time, so the state should put forth the strongest language possible.
• The First Amendment has not changed, but the way courts interpret it has over the years. The Arkansas Religious Freedom Amendment helps stop courts from reinterpreting and undermining the free exercise of religion in Arkansas.
• Issue 3 would be a barrier to infringements on religious freedom at the local level.

What opponents say:

• This proposal is redundant. We’re doing something that really doesn’t do anything.
• Nothing in the amendment explains what remedies are available when one person’s or group’s religious liberties adversely impact the rights and liberties of other groups or people. On the contrary, this amendment sets up the potential for abuse of other people by persons claiming “free expression” or “free exercise” of religion.
• Despite public claims by its supporters that this amendment will safeguard religion from the government, it does not safeguard the government from religion.

Issue 4 Arkansas Adult Use Cannabis Amendment.

What supporters say:

• This initiative reduces healthcare costs by removing taxes from medical cannabis sold to qualified patients and replacing it with taxes on adult use.
• It ensures that one mistake will not last a lifetime by reforming our state’s existing laws on the possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use.
• People want to be able to provide this to Arkansans in a responsible way. For those folks who are not necessarily supporters of this, we want them to know that we’re going to do this in a responsible way. We’re going to limit the number of stores. It’s not going to be on every corner. There’s not a home grow component. It’s going to be controlled, be able to be taxed, and the quality and the quantities are going to be controlled to some degree.
• This is something that is coming our way. We can either be a part of it, or we’re going to lose out to some of our neighboring states in jobs and tax revenue for the state.
• Regardless of what one thinks personally about the prospect of legal recreational marijuana, the revenue created by this ballot initiative would support general fund investments that can unlock the potential of Arkansas – in areas like education starting with preschool, infrastructure starting with broadband, and economic development starting with jobs – while supporting the state drug court program, UAMS, and law enforcement.

What opponents say:

• Issue 4 will expand illegal drug use in our communities by authorizing the sale and use of drugs that are still 100 percent illegal under federal law.
• The proposal is too favorable to the industry rather than to the patients and consumers.
• The proposal will kill the medical program because cultivators and dispensaries will not provide a wide variety of strains that can help ease patients’ medical problems.
• Producers will be incentivized to cater to the recreational consumers and simply grow the strains that have the highest concentrations of THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis.
• The only dispensaries that will be able to sell medical cannabis are the original 40. The 40 original dispensaries will automatically receive a second license for recreational only. This leaves patients who are having to travel up to two hours to get their medicine will continue to have to drive in excess of two hours. That leaves only 40 more dispensaries open for licensing. That is a small number to create competition. Not only that, but you may own up to 18 dispensaries, which would stop any competition.
• There are no provisions for expungement on criminal records, so those who have had their lives destroyed by sometimes as little as a joint, continue to have their lives destroyed while these conglomerates rake in millions of dollars.