$46 million will go to law enforcement, Responsible Growth TV ad states October 17, 2022 By Griffin Coop Responsible Growth Arkansas has made a small change to one of its TV ads to show exactly how much tax revenue will go to law enforcement officers over the next five years. The ads previously made references to additional funding for law enforcement, but did not mention an exact amount. Now, an ad listing four reasons to vote for the amendment says the measure will generate $46 million for law enforcement officers. The figure comes from an economic impact study performed by the Arkansas Economic Development Institute and commissioned by Responsible Growth. The study estimated the tax will generate $45.5 million for law enforcement over the first five years of the recreational marijuana program. The Arkansas Adult Use Cannabis Amendment would impose a 10% supplemental tax on recreational marijuana sales. The amendment would dedicate 15% of the tax revenue to fund a stipend for certified law enforcement officers, 10% for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and 5% for drug courts. The change comes on the heels of attacks by opposition leader Jerry Cox of Family Council Action Committee, who has said the amendment will not provide a significant amount of funding for law enforcement. During a stop in Jonesboro on his anti-legalization tour across the state last week, Cox downplayed the impact of the money that would go to law enforcement, according to a report from KAIT TV in Jonesboro. Executive Director Jerry Cox believes the language of the amendment is too vague and voters may not see the benefits it claims to bring. “When you look at their funding formula for the police, they don’t tell you how much money they’re going to allocate for the police,” he said. “They say ‘it’ll be a stipend’, well a stipend is usually a little bonus or something at the end of the year. We’re not talking about longer-term salary increases.” Cox added taxes from the bill would not produce enough money for items such as equipment or patrol cars for police. Last week, the city of Little Rock recently demanded Responsible Growth change the ad because it includes images of Little Rock police officers. Responsible Growth attorney Erika Gee responded that the group did not believe it needed to change the ad because the video was public and the officers’ agency was identifiable.
