Democrat Jones supports marijuana amendment, would push for criminal justice reforms

Jones trumpeted the potential tax revenue and entrepreneurship opportunities of adult-use marijuana while reiterating his support for the amendment sponsored by Responsible Growth Arkansas that was denied a spot on the ballot by a state board at a meeting last week. 

The Responsible Growth amendment would legalize marijuana use for adults 21 years and older but would not expunge any sentences for past marijuana-related crimes. 

Jones, who grew up in Pine Bluff, said he believes the industry-backed amendment from Responsible Growth Arkansas will ultimately be on the November ballot. The proposed amendment gained more than enough signatures to make the ballot but the state Board of Election Commissioners voted unanimously not to certify the ballot title to put the Arkansas Adult Use Cannabis Amendment on the ballot. 

Responsible Growth filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court last week. 

Jones spoke to Arkansas Cannabiz by phone Saturday night as he traveled from Little Rock to Arkadelphia for the annual Clinton Day Dinner hosted by the Clark County Democrats. During the call, Jones said he is not a medical marijuana cardholder, although he said he did support legalizing medical marijuana when it was on the ballot in 2016. 

Jones issued a statement last week declaring support for the Responsible Growth amendment and reiterated his support later in the week in a series of tweets after the Board of Election Commissioners shot down the ballot title. 

Jones said he supports legalization for many reasons. First, he said, adults should be able to make their own decisions as they do with alcohol. Second, he believes recreational marijuana will be a good revenue generator for the state. And, third, he said legalization will create entrepreneurship opportunities. 

A scientist and a pastor, Jones is also focused on the restorative justice elements of marijuana policy. 

“There are a lot of folks who are incarcerated now who are incarcerated for amounts that will soon be legal and that are currently legal in some states,” Jones said. “We now have an opportunity to really take a thoughtful look at addressing that.”

Jones said legalization and criminal justice reforms could relieve stress on the jails and allow law enforcement to focus on more violent crime. 

When told U.S. Senator Tom Cotton has said that the United States actually has an under-incarceration problem rather than an over-incarceration problem, Jones said the comment was insensitive and short-sighted. 

“I do disagree with that,” Jones said. “That’s a short-sighted comment. It’s a comment that’s insensitive to communities that are currently devastated by folks who are incarcerated. It’s insensitive to folks who have been a part of the system for a very long time. As a scientist, I would be interested in seeing on what factual foundation he bases that statement.” 

Studying the data on the effects of incarceration in the United States and then addressing the issue with love and compassion for your neighbors is a good approach here, Jones suggested. 

“If you look at the statistics, there are far too many communities that have been separated, ravaged, divided and, dare I say, destroyed by the way in which the criminal justice system has interacted with marijuana use,” Jones said.  “And then also, as a minister, I look at it from the standpoint of how, how are we loving our neighbors? How are we making sure that our neighbors have every opportunity to succeed? And how, how are we really promoting fairness? There’s an opportunity now to really address some of the things that we have not gotten right and get them right in this moment.”

Jones, who is Black, said the burdens of marijuana policy fall heavily on the Black community and rural white community. Jones, whose father is from Hughes and whose mother is from Stephens, spent a lot of time in  small towns in eastern and southern Arkansas. 

“Having grown up in very rural places and having grown up as a Black man, these issues are important to me because they matter deeply for folks in the Black community and they matter deeply to folks in the rural white community. We have to begin to address some of those long-standing challenges.”

While Jones has taken a stance in favor of marijuana legalization, his Republican counterparts have not. Republican Governor Hutchinson, who is term-limited and will leave office in January, recently told a crowd of law enforcement officers that marijuana is a “harmful drug” and they should “stand firm” in their fight against the Responsible Growth amendment. 

Jones’ opponent, Republican nominee Sarah Sanders, has not shared her position on the issue. When asked by email on Thursday, Aug. 4, for a statement on Sanders’ position on the Responsible Growth amendment, campaign spokesman Judd Deere responded by saying, “Received. I’ll keep you posted when I have something.”

Jones criticized Sanders for not taking a position on the issue and said the voters are not served by her silence on this issue and others. 

“I think it’s unfortunate that Sarah Sanders has not shared a position on this and so many other things that we not only have questions about but have a right to know about,” he said. “If you’re seeking the highest executive office in Arkansas and you’re seeking to have that sort of influence over so many issues, you should be able to share your positions and you should really show up. It’s completely unfortunate and inappropriate that she has taken this on this or really any other issue.”

Jones said he was not fond of the initiative process that required the amendment’s ballot title to be certified by the Board of Election Commissioners but thinks the amendment will ultimately be on the ballot. Jones said the board has put up “unnecessary barriers” for many initiatives in their attempt to make the ballot. 

“At the end of the day, there should be a fair, equitable and efficient way for the citizens of Arkansas to put something to a vote,” Jones said. “That’s what democracy is about and I think they have complicated that process.”