The Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act (AMCA) is a ballot measure that initially qualified for the ballot in Arkansas (as Issue 7) but was disqualified by the Arkansas Supreme Court 12 days before the November 8, 2016 election. [1] [2] A separate measure to legalize medical cannabis, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment (Issue 6), also qualified for the 2016 ballot and was approved by voters. [3]
The wording of the initiative's title was approved by the Arkansas Attorney General in August, 2014, allowing the process of collecting signatures for the initiative to begin. [4] The sponsor of the act, Arkansans for Compassionate Care, submitted 117,469 petition signatures to the state authorities for verification in June 2016. [5] It was certified for the ballot on July 7. [6] The act had a provision to collect sales tax and apportion some of the revenue to subsidize medical cannabis for low-income patients. [7]