Arkansas does not approve recreational marijuana

Little Rock, Arkansas – The legalization of recreational marijuana, which was Issue 4 in the 2022 elections, has been rejected by Arkansans.

As of 11:30 p.m., 67% of voters were against the proposal, while over 44% supported it.

Marijuana use for recreational purposes has been a long, difficult journey. Nearly twice as many signatures as required for Responsible Growth Arkansas (RGA) to be placed on the ballot were obtained.

Election officials initially disapproved the measure despite the massive number of signatures.

The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled in favor of the proposal being placed on the ballots for 2022 after petitioners filed an appeal in response to the rejection.

The court decided that election officials have no right to reject the proposal and emphasized that the “people will decide whether to approve the proposed amendment in November.”

Many probable voters indicated after early voting that they would vote in favor of legalizing marijuana.

But as the election drew near, support for the proposal started to decline.

Over the course of the months, the legislation faced a considerable amount of criticism, with Arkansans assembling at the State Capitol to voice their opposition.

Numerous well-known Republicans opposed the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, including Tim Griffin, a candidate for attorney general, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a candidate for governor of Arkansas.

On the other hand, prominent figures including Chris Jones (D), a contender for governor of Arkansas, and Ricky Dale Harrington supported the bill (L).

Issue 4 was unquestionably the most prominent of the four issues that would be on the 2022 ballot. Additionally, it was the only one of the measures that was a citizen suggestion.