Supreme Court files procedural orders in recreational marijuana case September 13, 2022 By Griffin Coop The state Supreme Court issued procedural orders Monday in the case that will determine the fate of an amendment seeking to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. The orders, issued Monday afternoon, require Secretary of State John Thurston to “decide the sufficiency of the proposed initiative petition.” Steve Lancaster, counsel for Responsible Growth Arkansas, said the order appears to be procedural and is asking the Secretary of State to provide documentation of the Board of Election Commissioners’ denial of the group’s ballot title last month. Lancaster said the order was not an indication that the court is leaning one way or the other on its ruling. The Board of Election Commissioners, of which Thurston is the chairman, voted unanimously last month not to certify the ballot title of the Arkansas Adult Use Cannabis Amendment. The decision by the board prompted Responsible Growth to file an appeal with the state Supreme Court. Responsible Growth filed the final brief in the case on September 2. David Couch, the Little Rock attorney who drafted the successful 2016 amendment to legalize medical marijuana in the state, also said the order appears to be procedural. Couch and fellow marijuana advocate Melissa Fults oppose the amendment by Responsible Growth.