Marijuana legislation

A recap of the medical marijuana-related bills filed by the state Legislature during the 91st General Assembly. All bills must be approved on the floor of both the House of Representatives and the Senate before being sent to Gov. Asa Hutchinson to sign into law. Any bill changing the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment must be approved by a two-thirds majority in both chambers. All statuses are as of Monday morning:

HB1026 Pushes deadline for state agencies to publish marijuana regulations to May 8. Status: Signed into law as Act 4.

HB1049 Better defines excluded felonies that would bar people from operating a dispensary or cultivation facility. Status: Approved by the House; headed to Senate floor.

HB1051 Adds licensing process for marijuana transporters, distributors and processors. Status: Approved by the House; headed to the Senate floor.

HB1057 Allows the FBI to perform criminal background checks. Status: Approved by the House; headed to the Senate floor.

HB1058 Strikes language requiring doctors to weigh benefits and risks of medical marijuana when certifying that a patient has a qualifying medical condition. Also specifies that medical marijuana records are not federally protected, but still confidential. Status: Signed into law as Act 5.

HB1298 Requires licenses for dispensary or cultivation facilities be issued to individual people, not businesses or groups. Authorizes the transfer of dispensary or cultivation licenses. Status: Approved by the House; headed to the Senate floor.

HB1369 Requires tax revenues from medical marijuana to first repay state for program’s administration and enforcement; any excess would go to the state’s general revenue fund. Drops requirement that half of tax revenue go towards vocational and technical training. Status: Approved by the House; assigned to the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.

HB1370 Allows the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission to regulate artwork, building signs, indoor displays and other forms of medical marijuana marketing. The commission will also regulate the shape and flavors of any medical marijuana products. Requires child-safe packaging on medical marijuana products. Status: Approved by the House; headed to the Senate floor.

HB1371 Requires that Arkansans hold a 60 percent ownership interest in dispensaries and cultivation facilities. Requires licenses for dispensaries or cultivation facilities to be issued to individuals, not corporate entities. Requires Medical Marijuana Commission to administer criminal background check of any owner, board member or officer of a dispensary or cultivation facility. Status: Approved by the House; assigned to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.

HB1391 Allows city council and quorum courts to vote to ban dispensaries and cultivation facilities from their jurisdictions. Also strikes language requiring dispensaries to be treated the same as a pharmacy for zoning purposes. Status: Assigned to the House Rules Committee.

HB1392 Prohibits the production or consumption of marijuana-laced food or drink. Makes an exception for qualified patients or their caregiver to mix marijuana into food/drink if that is required to aid in the consumption of medical marijuana. Status: Assigned to the House Rules Committee.

HB1400 Prohibits the smoking of medical marijuana anywhere in the state. Status: Assigned to the House Rules Committee.

HB1402 Allows the Arkansas Department of Health to reschedule marijuana if the federal government does so first. Status: Signed into law as Act 440.

HB1436 Dispensary or cultivation facility licenses expire on June 30 and must be renewed prior to July 1. Status: Approved by the House; assigned to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.

HB1451 Prohibits members of the Arkansas National Guard or U.S. military from participating in the state’s medical marijuana program, as either a designated caregiver or as a patient. Status: Approved by both the House and the Senate; headed to governor’s desk.

HB1460 Expands ability of employers to limit marijuana use. Status: Approved by the House; assigned to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.

HB1507 Allows the Medical Marijuana Commission to collect fines and fees. Status: Approved by the House; headed to the Senate floor.

HB1508 Prohibits medical marijuana advertising. Status: Assigned to the House Rules Committee.

HB1519 Places the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission within the Department of Finance and Administration. Status: Approved by the House; headed to Senate floor.

HB1556 Bans physicians from certifying that a patient has a qualifying medical condition through telemedicine. Status: Signed into law as Act 438.

HB1580 Places a 4 percent privilege tax on sales by cultivators and a 4 percent privilege tax on sales by dispensaries. Status: Approved by the House; assigned to the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.

HB1584 Allows the Medical Marijuana Commission to issue a temporary license to a dispensary or cultivation facility when the licensee ceases to be in actual control of the business. Status: Approved by the House; assigned to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.

HB1679 Allows the Medical Marijuana Commission to hire five employees. Status: Assigned to the Joint Budget Committee.

HB1935 Shell bill addressing marijuana in schools. Status: Assigned to the House Journal Engrossed and Enrolled Bills Committee.

HB1939 Shell bill with no aim defined as yet. Status: Assigned to the House Journal Engrossed and Enrolled Bills Committee.

HB1989 Shell bill regarding prohibiting smoking marijuana. Status: Assigned to the House Journal Engrossed and Enrolled Committee.

HB1991 Shell bill to enact prohibitions on medical marijuana. Status: Assigned to the House Journal Engrossed and Enrolled Committee.

HB2094 Shell bill to allow cultivators to acquire seeds. Status: Assigned to the House Journal Engrossed and Enrolled Committee.

HB2011 Shell bill with aim defined as yet. Status: Assigned to the House Journal Engrossed and Enrolled Committee.

HB2142 Shell bill regarding marijuana extracts. Status: Assigned to the House Journal Engrossed and Enrolled Committee.

HB2143 Shell bill prohibiting marijuana in vending machines. Status: Assigned to the House Journal Engrossed and Enrolled Committee.

HB2144 Shell bill requiring that only board-certified physicians may issue marijuana certifications. Status: Assigned to the House Journal Engrossed and Enrolled Committee.

HB2166 Shell bill that permit only low-THC marijuana. Status: Assigned to the House Journal Engrossed and Enrolled Committee.

HB2167 Shell bill regarding marijuana prohibitions. Status: Assigned to the House Journal Engrossed and Enrolled Committee.

HB2190 Requires dispensaries to carry vaporizers. Status: Assigned to the House Rules Committee.

HB2222 Establishes specific security requirements for marijuana facilities. Status: Assigned to the House Rules Committee.

HB2239 Creates a scholarship fund from marijuana revenue. Status: Assigned to the House Rules Committee.

SB130 Establishes THC level at which a driver or boater is considered intoxicated. Status: Assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

SB238 Delays state’s medical marijuana program until 180 days after the federal government revises federal law to allow medical marijuana nationwide. Status: Assigned to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.

SB243 Amends funding so that vocational education funding goes to Department of Career Education instead. Status: Approved by the Senate Education Committee; headed to Senate floor.

SB254 The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission may allow dispensaries to grow a limited amount of marijuana if the commission feels that it is in the best interests of citizens. Status: Approved by the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee; headed to Senate floor.

SB333 Prohibits combining medical marijuana with food or drink, unless it is mixed at home. Also bans the manufacture and sale of marijuana-laced products. Status: Approved by the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee; failed on the Seante floor but vote was expunged so it could return later.

SB357 Prohibits the smoking of marijuana in any location in Arkansas. Status: Approved by the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee; failed on Senate floor but vote was expunged so it could return later.

SB424 Shifts majority of marijuana tax revenues toward vocational training. Status: Assigned to the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.

SB561 Allows cities and counties to regulate marijuana facilities different from pharmacies. Allows city councils and quorum courts to prohibit marijuana facilities. Status: Assigned to the Senate Committee on City, County and Local Affairs.

SB674 Shell bill with no defined aim as yet. Status: Assigned to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.

SB690 Shell bill regarding marijuana in schools. Status: Assigned to the Senate Education Committee.

SB696 Shell bill to clarify the effect of marijuana on schools. Status: Assigned to the Senate Education Committee.

SB721 Shell bill to amend the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment. Status: Assigned to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.

SB722 Shell bill for marijuana prohibitions. Status: Assigned to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.

SB769 Shell bill requiring the reporting of qualified patients and marijuana dispensing data to the Arkansas all-payer claims database. Status: Assigned to the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.

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