The Republican governor in Arkansas announced that he would use tax revenues from the sale of medical marijuana to give free breakfasts and lunches to students at public schools.
In her State of the State Address on Tuesday, Governor. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said her administration will “use medical cannabis money” to support a state food assistance program for low income residents, as well as free breakfast and lunch programs for “years to come.”
She said, “We will use these funds to make school meals in Arkansas free for all students who choose to participate.”
This proposal is particularly noteworthy, given that Sanders, former press secretary of the first Trump administration has always resisted reforming cannabis policy.
The state Supreme Court ultimately shut down a ballot initiative in November to expand Arkansas’s medical marijuana program.
A survey showed that a majority in Arkansas of likely voters supported the initiative.
Sanders, despite her opposition to this proposal, appears to be open to modest reforms as well as maintaining the current medical cannabis program. In 2023, she signed into law a bill clarifying that medical cannabis patients can obtain concealed firearm carry licenses.
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Medical marijuana in the state has proven popular since its implementation. Officials announced last May that 102,000 residents registered for patient ID cards, surpassing expectations.
Arkansas voters, however, rejected a ballot measure to legalize adult marijuana in 2022.