The AP has obtained a draft of partial state Health Department rules that will govern medical marijuana in Arkansas.
The proposed rules — which must be approved by the state Board of Health — establish labeling and lab test requirements for marijuana products, create a process by which patients obtain a registry card, and lay out a process for adding qualifying conditions not included in the text of the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment, which was approved by voters this month. Still to come are rules governing dispensaries and cultivation facilities. (The amendment allows each dispensary to grow a small number of plants, but also creates four to eight cultivation centers in the state.)
The AP also notes that Rep. Doug House (R-North Little Rock) filed a bill today that would extend by about two months the deadline for finalizing rules for medical marijuana and the rollout of the application process for dispensaries.
The amendment approved by voters on Nov. 8 expressly forbids the legislature from modifying keep provisions within its text (including legalization itself), but allows for a supermajority of lawmakers to change certain other sections.