People of Arkansas every year approximately 11,000 people are being arrested for possession of a plant product that is scientifically proven to be over 100 times safer to consume than alcohol. Currently there are three marijuana measures proposed by the people to gain ballot access. However due to limited access to gain enough signatures to make the 2020 ballot it appears that no such law can reach the ballot so that people can let their voices be heard.

     Arkansas True Grass has been in this battle to gain access for 5 years now. We have not given up, and showed our persistence with over 50 measures submitted to the Arkansas Attorney General since July of 2016, and even filed a complaint in 2019 in the supreme court to persuade the court that the process of having the Attorney General certify measures was a conflict of interest seeing that the Attorney General was an elected official. Within a few weeks of filing our complaint the Legislators changed the law removing the Attorney General from this duty stating that having the Attorney General certify ballot titles and popular names was unconstitutional. What I ask is why wasn't this changed sooner before we submitted over 50 measures and paid 165 dollars to file our complaint.

   The initiative process of the people to propose and change laws should never be so hard... after all it is the people who get to decide at the ballot box what laws to enact. Why can't the people have the opportunity to vote on the measure? Why cant we allow their voice to be heard? 

    Now with this Corona Virus, and people being shut in, and big events being cancelled all over the state, and no way to allow an electronic signature to be had, once again the peoples voice is not heard in this matter. Instead we wait again while more and more are being arrested and families are made to suffer. Either give us a better way now to sign petitions with electronic signatures, or put all measures proposed before the Elections Committee and let them certify them for the ballot despite the number of signatures gained. Let the peoples voice be heard... what are the representatives scared of? If it is a bad law the voters will reject it, if good they will enact it.