Little Rock, AR: Republican Gov. Sarah Sanders vetoed legislation that sought to provide greater ease of access for patients authorized to use medical cannabis.
House Bill 1889 “authorized deliveries [of medical cannabis products] by dispensaries via delivery vehicles and via a drive-through window located at the dispensary.” Only patients who had previously submitted online orders that same day would have been permitted to use the drive-through option.
In her veto message, Gov. Sanders said that passage of the bill would have “expanded access to usable marijuana, therefore I am vetoing this legislation.”
The bill’s lead sponsor, Rep. Aaron Pilkington, called the Governor’s message confusing. “This [legislation] doesn’t increase the number of cardholders, and it doesn’t increase the amount [of cannabis] a cardholder can get,” he said.
House Bill 1889 had previously passed the House by a vote of 51 to 31. Senators voted 19 to 15 in favor of the legislation. Nonetheless, Rep. Pilkington doubted he had ample legislative support to override the Governor’s veto.
Arkansas voters approved medical cannabis access in 2016. An estimated 110,000 Arkansans are registered with the state to use medical cannabis products.
A state-by-state guide to pending marijuana legislation and NORML action alerts is available from NORML’s Take Action Center.