"Cannabis as Low Police Priority" Initiative -ES, AR

Eureka Springs, AR "Cannabis as Low Police Priority" Initiative

Measure language: "When any law enforcement officer suspects any adult in possession of a misdemeanor amount of marijuana and/or possession of marijuana paraphernalia, that person shall not be required to post bond, suffer arrest, be taken into custody for any purpose nor detained for any reason other than the issuance of a citation. There shall be a strong presumption that the proper disposition of any such case is to suspend the imposition of sentence and/or require community service work and/or drug counseling and education."

Voters in the Arkansas community of Eureka Springs passed this initiative with 62% of the vote on November 7, 2006 to 'deprioritize' cannabis possession. City election officials confirmed in August that a municipal initiative that seeks to decriminalize minor marijuana possession offenses would appear on the fall municipal ballot. The proposal directs local law enforcement to issue a summons in lieu of a criminal arrest for adults found to be in possession of up to one ounce of cannabis and or marijuana paraphernalia.