MARIJUANA BALLOT QUESTION AWAITS SIGNATURE CONFIRMATION

FAYETTEVILLE -- A ballot petition to have marijuana arrests and
convictions as a "low priority" by law enforcement and prosecutors
may make its way to the voters this November.

The group Sensible Fayetteville collected 900 more names to add to a
petition which already had the signatures of 3,385 registered
Fayetteville voters, said Ryan Denham, an organizer for Sensible
Fayetteville. It takes 3,686 voters to move the initiative to the
ballot. When supporters of the measure turned in their first set of
signatures Aug. 20, they were 310 names away from the mark.

"We have collected close to 900 gross signatures and are confident we
at least have 301 valid," said Denham, who turned in the final set of
signatures to city hall Friday. Officials in the Fayetteville City
Clerk's office will begin verifying the signatures next week. The
measure will appear on November ballots if the 3,686 valid signature
mark is met.

The drive by Sensible Fayetteville to put the marijuana issue to
voters began in November 2007. If the "Lowest Law Enforcement and
Prosecutorial Priority Policy Ordinance" passes, Fayetteville police
and prosecutors will be required to treat adult marijuana possession
offenses as a low priority.

Further, the measure requires the city clerk to send an annual letter
to state and federal legislators, governor, and president stating:
"The citizens of Fayetteville have passed an initiative to
de-prioritize adult marijuana offenses, where the marijuana is
intended for personal use, and request that the federal and Arkansas
state governments take immediate steps to enact similar laws."

Getting the extra signatures needed was not difficult, said Denham.

"The majority signed because they agreed with the initiative,"
remarked Denham, adding getting "over the hump" or being part of the
democratic process were not the top concerns among signers. "We had
visitors from neighboring counties come to take literature and
support our effort."

Eureka Springs is the only other Arkansas city to support such a
ballot measure. Similar laws have been passed by communities in
Missouri, Montana, Washington, California and Colorado.