skip to Main Content
Marijuana legalization could bring Arkansas $460M, study finds

Marijuana legalization could bring $460 million to the state’s budget, according to a new study, but opponents said new revenue doesn’t overcome increased costs.

Voters will get a chance in November to weigh in on a constitutional amendment that if approved would legalize recreational cannabis in Arkansas. Sales of marijuana would be limited to those 21 or older.

The Arkansas Economic Development Institute, which studied the economics of legalizing recreational cannabis, said new revenues from legal marijuana would total $460 million over five years. Legalization would bring $210 million to the state’s general revenue funds, create around 6,400 new jobs and increase Arkansas’ gross domestic product by $2.36 billion over five years, according to the study.

“[We’re] very direct in our aim [of] bringing forth an expanded responsible and well-regulated industry that supports law enforcement, cancer research, job creation and most importantly economic development,” said Eddie Armstrong, chair of Responsible Growth Arkansas, a pro-marijuana legalization group.

To come to the study’s conclusion, economists used data from the state’s medical cannabis industry and used a model from Regional Economic Modeling Inc. to simulate what effect legal recreational marijuana would have on the state’s economy. Researchers also used data from other states such as Colorado, California and Washington that have legalized recreational marijuana.

[Read more at Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]
This Post Has 0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Stories

Pot Industry High on Florida’s Marijuana Legalization Referendum

Voters will now get to decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana in a state that has a well-established medical pot marketplace. When the Florida Supreme Court earlier this month approved a November referendum on…

US Marijuana Industry Hits All-Time High

The legal cannabis industry is thriving in the U.S., reaching its highest-ever number of jobs and sales, a new report shows. Vangst, a cannabis industry job platform, found that at…

Black market marijuana tied to Chinese criminal networks infiltrates Maine

Maine is the newest frontier for the illicit marijuana trade, with potentially hundreds of suspected unlicensed grow houses operating in the state, a CBS News investigation has found. It’s part…

Iowa’s medical marijuana program is 10 years old. How does it compare with other states?

Ten years ago this month, Iowa policymakers made it legal to use cannabis for certain medical treatment, marking the start of what would eventually become Iowa’s existing medical cannabidiol program.…

More Categories

Back To Top
×Close search
Search