MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In Arkansas Wednesday, marked a mix of soul searching and celebration after Natural State voters soundly rejected the legalization of recreational marijuana.
After the measure's 12-point defeat, the discussion now moves to when or the the measure will appear again on an Arkansas ballot, and if so, whether a majority of voters would support a different version the next time.
Opinions differed sharply, including from Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson himself, who spent part of his day at the University of Memphis.
"The people spoke very clearly that that's not the direction we want to go," Gov. Hutchinson said. "I expect it will come back in a couple of years, some states it's more difficult to get those initiatives on the ballot and so they will pick and choose the states that they go after."
"I'm just grateful that our state has been spared this terrible amendment," Family Council Action Committee Executive Director Jerry Cox added.
He said the doomed campaign from Responsible Growth Arkansas, which raised $13 million, could give large donors pause for another legal weed effort in two or four years.
"I'm wondering who's going to put up that kind of money next time around to try to pass a similar measure knowing that may fail and not get any return whatsoever on their quote investment," Cox added.
"Anytime you are doing a ballot initiative, you are never going to get it perfect for everyone," Responsible Growth Arkansas Co-Chair Lance Huey said.
Huey doesn't feel the recreational marijuana issue is dead but needs to be retooled.
"Arkansas failed the first time it tried medical," Huey said. "It was passed on the second time. Now we tried (recreational). It failed. It may be successful the next time."
In addition to Arkansas, voters in North Dakota and South Dakota also rejected recreational marijuana ballot measures. It did pass in Maryland and Missouri.