Effort to add medical marijuana conditions fails

LITTLE ROCK — An effort to add 40 more conditions that would qualify patients to use medical marijuana in Arkansas

has failed before a legislative committee.

The proposal expanding the qualifying medical conditions failed before the House Rules Committee on Wednesday after it did not receive a motion to advance the bill to the House floor.

The measure would have added asthma, attention deficit disorder, autism, bipolar disorder, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury and several others conditions to the qualifying conditions for medical marijuana. Arkansas voters in 2016 legalized medical marijuana.

Republican Rep. Douglas House, who sponsored the legislation, says he didn’t plan on bringing the proposal up again before the committee.

Arkansas has licensed 32 companies to sell medical marijuana and five cultivation facilities to grow it.

House approves bid for constitutional convention

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas House has approved a plan to join other states in asking for a national convention to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

The House voted 56-40 on Wednesday to adopt a resolution calling for a convention of the states to take up amendments imposing fiscal restraints on the federal government, limiting the federal government’s powers and imposing term limits on Congress.

The proposal needs at least 33 other states to agree for a convention to be held and 38 states to ratify the amendments. Conservatives in other states have been pushing for similar resolutions. Opponents say they’re worried the convention would open the door to other constitutional changes being considered.