Officials for Responsible Growth Arkansas have filed an appeal with the Arkansas Supreme Court to overturn a decision by the Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners that would keep a proposed constitutional amendment legalizing recreational marijuana off the November ballot.
Steve Lancaster, counsel for Responsible Growth Arkansas, said in a news release Friday the organization filed a petition with the state’s highest court to overturn the decision made by Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners earlier this week.
Commissioners on Wednesday unanimously denied the popular name and ballot title for the proposed constitutional amendment, saying the measure did not clearly state whether there would be a certain THC limit on edibles.
“After nearly 200,000 Arkansans signed Responsible Growth Arkansas’ petition, the State Board of Election Commissioners incorrectly rejected the ballot title and thus thwarted the will of the people and their freedom to adopt laws by initiative,” Lancaster said in the release. “The power to adopt laws by initiative lies at the heart of our democratic institutions. That power must be respected. The Court should correct the Board’s error and let the people decide.”
The petition states Responsible Growth Arkansas seeks a preliminary injunction because the Aug. 25 deadline for certification of initiated measures is pressing, and it asks the court to order John Thurston, Arkansas’ secretary of state, to conditionally certify the petitioners’ proposed…