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Arkansas medical marijuana Issue 6 passes, marking milestone in Bible Belt


Election 2016: Get updates on the nine states with marijuana ballot measures


Arkansas has become the first state in the Bible Belt to legalize medical marijuana.

With their approval of Issue 6 on Tuesday, voters will allow patients with a variety of medical conditions and a doctor’s permission to buy marijuana from dispensaries. Patients won’t be allowed to grow their own.

Some political leaders said they preferred that Arkansas legislators instead allow a version of the drug that is low in THC, which gives marijuana its high.

More than half of the states have now legalized medical marijuana.

A separate marijuana question had been approved but Arkansas’ Supreme Court last month directed that votes not be counted. Justices said the petition lacked enough valid signatures.