Support for amendment falls to 50.5% in latest poll, opposition rising in last month October 24, 2022 By Griffin Coop Support for an amendment to legalize recreational marijuana in Arkansas has fallen by eight points in the past month while the opposition to the amendment has risen considerably, according to a poll released Sunday by Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College. According to the poll, 50.5% of respondents said they support the Arkansas Adult Use Cannabis Amendment, while 43% oppose it and 6.5% are undecided. The results mark a significant change from another poll from the same group last month that showed 58.5% in favor, 29% opposed and 12.5% undecided. The poll released yesterday found that 36.5% are definitely for the measure and 14% are probably for it, while 33.5% are definitely against it and 9.5% are probably against it. Support among Democrats was unchanged but opposition has risen among Republicans and Independents, according to Robert Coon, managing partner with Impact Management Group, who analyzed the poll. Republican voters have now turned against the ballot measure with opposition among that group growing to 60%, compared to 41% who opposed it in September. While Democrats are unchanged, support has dropped by 12-percentage points and opposition has risen by 13-percentage points among Independents. The trend line heading into Election Day is one that should concern supporters and energize opponents, and will likely make the vote much closer than previously expected. Since the first poll, two opposition groups have coalesced and have run TV ads framing marijuana as a dangerous drug. The ads say that legalization in other states has led to negative consequences but have also included misleading information. The Family Council Action Committee, led by conservative crusader Jerry Cox, has embarked on a statewide speaking tour that has included appearances with marijuana advocates Melissa Fults and David Couch. Fults ran a competing amendment earlier this year and Couch authored the amendment that legalized medical marijuana in Arkansas in 2016. Fults’ opposition led Robbin Rahman, the leader of a Conway dispensary, to pen a guest column criticizing her alignment with Cox, a marijuana hardliner. The top elected officials in Arkansas have also come out against the measure and even former Vice President Mike Pence’s political organization, Advancing America’s Freedom, tweeted against the measure on Friday. Issue 4 is the wrong direction for Arkansas. Thank you @Mike_Pence for your support in this fight. https://t.co/4mgfu1g5AA — Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@AsaHutchinson) October 21, 2022 Greg Leding, a Democratic state senator from Fayetteville, tweeted his opposition to the measure over the weekend. Leding said he supported legalization in general but not this particular measure. Issue 4: I’m voting no. I fully support legalization, but Issue 4 guarantees that a small group of companies will control the recreational marijuana industry and won’t face meaningful competition. It’s a bad approach, and Arkansans deserve better.#ARpx (4/4) — Greg Leding (@GregLeding) October 24, 2022
