A group of conservatives from Little Rock has started a new campaign to gather voters to oppose the measure to legalize recreational marijuana in Arkansas.
Jerry Cox, Family Council Action Committee's executive director, said on Tuesday that Arkansas "does not need another drug problem."
The anti-marijuana campaign will feature social media graphics and videos. The organizers are also planning a two-week city tour around the state, reported KARK.
If approved, the measure would allow adults 21 and over to possess and use marijuana without a medical use card.
Responsible Growth Arkansas, the group behind Issue 4, is firm in its push to legalize the plant.
"Recent polling shows statewide support is nearly twice as high as the opposition," Responsible Growth spokesperson Eddie Armstrong said. "We plan to continue getting the message out and ask people to make their own choices at the ballot box in November."
The Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College's recent survey showed that "59 percent of likely voters in Arkansas are in favor of the ballot measure, with just 29 percent opposed and 13 percent undecided."
Gov Says No On Marijuana Legalization, Supreme Court To Decide On Whether The Vote Will Count
Meanwhile, Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), and John Boozman (R-AR) are among the conservative voices asking voters to oppose the initiative.
"This November, I'm voting NO on Issue 4 to legalize recreational marijuana in Arkansas, and I hope you'll join me," Hutchinson said, linking to a website for an anti-legalization advocacy group called "Safe and Secure Communities."
Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R), who is running for governor, has the same stance on the issue.
"I don't think that with the drug epidemic that we have across this state, frankly across the country, that adding and giving more access to that does anything to benefit Arkansas, so I certainly wouldn't be supportive of that [marijuana]," she told reporters this week.
Safe and Secure Communities recently filed a motion in the Arkansas Supreme Court arguing that a proposed constitutional amendment to present to voters was "misleading, fraudulent, and illegal" under state law because the ballot measure's title did not preserve the state's medical THC limit.
Now, it's up to the state Supreme Court to decide if the vote will count on the November ballot.
Photo: Courtesy of underworld and Sean Pavone by Shutterstock
