AD WON’T RUN DESPITE POPULAR SUPPORT

Fayetteville, AR: An advertisement about medical marijuana scheduled to run in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette was denied publication late yesterday January 14, according to Denele Campbell, spokesperson for the Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana. One-inch by one-column in size, the ad would have included the words “Medical Marijuana” followed in smaller type by the words “Compassion. Common Sense.” The only other information in the ad is the group’s website address and telephone number.

"I returned to my office and found a message on the answering machine from Doug Wallace, the advertising sales consultant who had taken our ad here at the Fayetteville office," stated Ms. Campbell. "He said: 'Bad news... Little Rock powers-that-be have decided this ad cannot run ... They're not going to let me run it. I'm very sorry.'"

“We’re not sure what criteria is used by the Democrat-Gazette in denying publication for this ad,” stated Ms. Campbell. “Two-thirds of the state’s voters support this measure, so it seems reasonable to expect that the only daily paper with statewide circulation would be considerate of the majority’s interest.”

Polling has consistently shown this level of support, according to Ms. Campbell. Most recently, a poll conducted by Zogby International in November showed support by 62% of Arkansas citizens who voted in the November 2002 elections.

The poll asked:  “Currently under Arkansas law, the use of marijuana is illegal for all purpose, including for medical use. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose a law that would allow people with cancer and other debilitating medical conditions to register in a state-regulated program permitting them to grow and use a limited amount of marijuana for medical purposes?”

Thirty-eight percent strongly support the proposed law, with another 24% stating they somewhat support it. Another eight percent somewhat oppose the measure while 26% strongly oppose it. Four percent were not sure.

The Alliance commissioned the poll by Zogby one year after finding similar results in a statewide poll conducted by the University of Arkansas Political Science Department in its 2001 Arkansas Poll. That poll found 63% of respondents approved of the measure, with an additional 3% in support with certain conditions.

“We wanted to ask a more detailed question than the Arkansas Poll, which only asked if voters supported a law allowing sick people to use it. The Zogby poll asked if voters would support a law that allowed sick people to grow their own supply.”

“In view of the consistent majority support for this measure, we had hoped that the leadership at the Democrat-Gazette would be able to overcome their problem about this issue and run this ad. Lots of people in this state want more information, which they could obtain if they knew our website and telephone. Needless to say, we are disappointed in the paper. We'll have to rely on the other newspapers of this state to give balanced information to the citizens.”

The Zogby poll, conducted Wednesday November 6 to Friday November 8, 2002, from Zogby International headquarters in Utica N. Y., questioned 600 adults chosen at random in the State of Arkansas. The margin of error is +/- 4.1%.

Zogby’s summary of the poll states: “Majorities of people within each subgroup (except those who consider themselves very conservative) strongly or somewhat support this law. Democrats (62%) are slightly more likely than Republicans (55%) to support the law, while respondents who belong to other parties (67%) are even more likely to show support. A 73% average of 30-49 year-olds, African Americans, residents of large cities, single adults, Protestants who do not consider themselves born again, those whose religion is “other”, and other people with household income of $35,000-$49,999 are among the most likely to support the law.

“The most likely to strongly or somewhat oppose the law are born-again Christians (44%) and a 40% average of Republicans, seniors 65 and older, suburbanites, and people with household income of $15,000-$24,999 and $75,000 or more.”

The 2001 Arkansas poll canvassed 767 likely state voters in October 2001 and is available online at http://plsc.uark.edu/arkpoll/

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For more information: www.ardpark.org for full text of proposed law, patient stories, and information about other state laws allowing legal medical use.

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Denele Campbell, Executive Director
Alliance for Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas, Inc. - ARDPArk, Inc.
1155 West Sixth Street PMB A17   Fayetteville, AR 72701
479-839-2475 * arkdruglawreform@mindspring.com  *  www.ardpark.org
Sponsor of the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Campaign