Arkansas Bill Dedicating Medical Marijuana Tax Revenue To Fund School Breakfasts For Students Heads To Governor’s Desk

Arkansas lawmakers have sent the governor a bill to use medical marijuana tax revenue to fund free school breakfasts for students.

The Senate voted 24-1 on Monday to give final approval to the legislation, sponsored by Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R), days after it had cleared the House of Representatives in lightly amended form.

SB 59 now heads the desk of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R), who’s previously endorsed the plan.

The legislation would supplement federal free and reduced-price meal funds with money from a state Food Insecurity Fund, paid for by cannabis taxes as well as private grants and money from the state’s general fund.

It would provide meals to students regardless of whether or not they qualify for free or reduced-cost food under federal law. Some supporters have said that stigma sometimes prevents families from taking advantage of those programs, leaving children hungry.

The governor previewed the bill in her State of the State address last month.

Sanders, a former press secretary in the first Trump administration, has historically resisted cannabis policy reform.

“We will also use those funds to make school breakfast in Arkansas completely free for any student that chooses to participate,” she said in the speech, saying the use of medical marijuana funds would make the program “sustainable for years to come.”

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Ahead of November’s election, Sanders opposed a ballot initiative that would have expanded Arkansas’s medical marijuana program—a measure ultimately scuttled by the state Supreme Court.

A survey found that a majority of likely voters in Arkansas were in favor of the initiative.

Despite her opposition to the proposal, Sanders has been open to maintaining the existing medical cannabis program and adopting other modest reforms. For example, in 2023 she signed a bill into law clarifying that medical marijuana patients can obtain concealed carry licenses for firearms despite federal law still prohibiting cannabis users from possessing guns.

The state’s medical marijuana has proved popular since its implementation in 2019, with officials announcing last May that at least 102,000 residents have registered for patient cards, exceeding expectations.

However, Arkansas voters rejected a ballot initiative to more broadly legalize marijuana for adults in 2022.

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