Former governor opposes marijuana amendment, cites drug cartels and gullible people

Huckabee, a former Baptist preacher, speaks directly to the camera about what he says are the negative consequences of recreational marijuana use in a video that lasts two minutes and 45 seconds. In a second video, Huckabee’s video is preceded by images of homeless people, drug addicts and syringes, as well as statistics about recreational marijuana use in other states. The videos are posted on the website of Family Council Action Committee, one of three groups formed to oppose Issue 4, the Arkansas Adult Use Cannabis Amendment. 

The former governor says some people are going to make a lot of money if the amendment passes, but not everyone will benefit. 

“Unfortunately, you aren’t the one who is going to be making the money, drug cartels will,” Huckabee says.

Later in the video, Huckabee says “And if you are one of those people that can sell the drug, maybe you’ll make a buck off of the gullible people who will somehow convince themselves this is absolutely harmless.” 

Huckabee says that the state Supreme Court may have approved the ballot title but that doesn’t mean the justices agree with the substance of the amendment. 

“(The justices) surely are intelligent people and they know the only people to really benefit from this, other than those who are going to be selling it at a high price and making a lot of money, are going to be the people who maybe sell snack foods to satisfy the munchies for people who are engaged in the use of recreational marijuana,” Huckabee said.

Huckabee has taken a hard stance against recreational marijuana in the past, although he did speak favorably in Colorado about that state being a test case for recreational marijuana legalization. Huckabee was running for president at the time. 

According to the Denver Post: 

“If after a few years the people of Colorado are making more money, they’re bringing in more jobs, people go to work early, they stay late and they get their jobs done better and they’re all happy — and other than having a bad case of the munchies they’re just doing great — maybe the rest of the country will see how wise it is,” he said.

“If, on the other hand, you have people who don’t show up for work and who stay stoned half the time, if you have kids who end up eating what they thought was just a good nice brownie that their mama made but it makes them sick and puts them in the emergency room, if you have enough of that, then maybe the other states will step back and say, ‘Thanks, Colorado, for protecting us from making the decision that you guys made that didn’t work out real well for you.’”

Huckabee is the father of Arkansas Republican gubernatorial nominee Sarah Huckabee Sanders who said last month that she opposes Issue 4. 

Arkansas Cannabiz has now identified more than $50,000 from individuals in the Arkansas marijuana industry who have contributed to Sanders’ campaign.