Arkansas voters will have two options for legalizing medical marijuana come the November elections.
One, Issue 6, is an amendment to the state Constitution calling for physician-prescribed marijuana for a limited number of conditions. It limits the number of marijuana dispensaries to 40 and puts them under the supervision of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Division.
The second, Issue 7, is an initiated act that would also legalize medical marijuana by prescription and initially limits dispensaries to 38-although allowing for more if a need is determined. It also allows patients who live more than 20 miles from a dispensary to grow a limited number of their own plants at home, something Issue 6 prohibits.
It looks like the "grow" provision could be a sticking point with voters.
A recent survey by Talk Business and Politics and Hendrix College found that 49 percent of respondents favor Issue 6, with 43 percent against and 8 percent undecided.
But Issue 7-which allows patients to grow marijuana at home-was opposed by 53 percent of respondents. Only 36 percent were in favor and 11 percent remain undecided.
If both pass, the one with the most "yes" votes will take effect.
In 2012 Arkansas residents gave a thumbs down to medical marijuana in a slim 51-49 vote. But times and demographics are constantly changing. That means approval is possibly on the horizon, if not this time then in the future.
But if the poll results mean anything, it looks like voters are going to favor the more conservative proposal. They may vote for medical marijuana, but they will ease it in.
Still, even Issue 6 only has 49 percent support at present. The undecideds could push the amendment over the top, or they could doom it to a narrow failure.
We cannot support either issue because we do not think the state should legalize a substance that remains illegal under federal law. It could put the state at odds with the federal authorities and set off a costly legal battle. We have looked at other states that have passed such measures and see more problems that positives.
But we are also realists. Our view was narrowly the prevailing one in 2012 and may yet hold in 2016. But voters will ultimately decide and it is their view that will determine the future of legal marijuana in Arkansas.