Arkansas Senator Is Attempting to Ban Smoking Medical Marijuana

Arkansas voters approved medical marijuana in November. But newly proposed legislation could actually make smoking marijuana illegal. Senator Rapert went as far as to include language preventing the smoking of medical marijuana inside any location in the state.

This would mean that Arkansas medical marijuana patients wouldn’t’ be allowed to smoke their medicine even in the privacy of their own homes, according to Arkansas Matters.  Patients in Arkansas would have to rely on capsules, oils, vaporized and edible forms of medical marijuana. The good news is dry flower can still be used in many vaporizers.

Not everyone is happy about this new legislation.

Lakeisha Brown said, “If the doctor prescribed it to me and they tell me I can’t take it I would no longer live on this property.”

Those that rent properties in the state are a little worried. Landlords are permitted to tell tenants that they can’t smoke marijuana inside as it is, but does not allow them to ban use of other forms of medical marijuana. The new legislation doesn’t include that same safety net, so some are wondering if landlords might actually be able to say no marijuana in any form can be used in the rental.

Brown also said, “If I really need it and not allowed to take it. That’s a problem also.”

One landlord, Doug Melkovitz said, “I think the people I know don’t really care about medical marijuana or about marijuana in general. I think our biggest concern is for the building and other tenants and if you’re ingesting it in other ways than smoking it’s not an issue.”

Brown continued her comments by saying, “If we sit there and voted for it and got approved for it and they’re trying to take it from us it makes it seem like we don’t have a voice really.”

The bill was just filed and has not been reviewed in any capacity yet.