LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Talk Business and Politics along with Hendrix College releasing new polling on the topic of recreational marijuana. 

The poll asked if prospective voters were for, against, or undecided on issue 4. 

58.5% were for the issue, 29% were against and 12.5% percent are undecided. 

“The fact the poll comes out and says 58% of Arkansans are supportive of or recreational marijuana is really surprising to me,” said District 5 senator Bob Ballinger.

Senator Ballinger along with district 1 Senator, Bart Hester believes if issue 4 makes it to the ballot and passes the natural state would resemble other states where recreational marijuana is legal.

“We’ll see an increase in small petty theft, small petty break-ins…people’s inability to stay employed or be employed because of the use of marijuana,” said Hester.

Eddie Armstrong, chairman of Responsible Growth Arkansas thinks recreational marijuana “can be a strong benefit for our state.”

Responsible Growth Arkansas is a campaign to legalize cannabis. RGA submitted over 190,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office to place the Arkansas Adult Use Cannabis Amendment on the November ballot.

In Arkansas advocates need just over 89,000 valid signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot.

“I think one of the things this poll also shows is that Arkansans don’t want out-of-state influencers trying to dictate what we believe are our choices,” said Armstrong who feels strongly about putting the decision in the hands of the people. 

Armstrong and RGA believe that the legalization of marijuana will lead to a better Arkansas as he says will “be creating jobs and providing much-needed funding for cancer research and support for law enforcement.”

This issue is still in the hands of the Arkansas supreme court to determine if it will appear on the ballot this year. Their decision could be made as early as next week