Proposal to block casino plans OK’d for Arkansas ballot; medical marijuana backers given more time

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A proposal aimed at blocking a planned casino in Arkansas qualified for the November ballot on Wednesday after election officials said supporters turned in more than enough signatures to qualify.

A campaign to ease restrictions on the state’s medical marijuana program, meanwhile, fell short of the signatures required but qualified for an additional 30 days to circulate petitions.

Secretary of State John Thurston’s office said it verified that Local Voters in Charge, the group behind the casino measure, submitted at least 116,200 valid signatures from registered voters — surpassing the 90,704 needed to qualify.

The group’s proposed constitutional amendment would repeal the license granted for a Pope County casino that has been hung up by legal challenges for the past several years. Pope County was one of four sites where casinos were allowed to be built under a constitutional amendment that voters approved in 2018. Casinos have already been set up in the other three locations.

The state Racing Commission in June awarded Cherokee Nation Entertainment the license for the casino.

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