Ark. Code Ann. § 20-15-2102: Findings

It is found and determined by the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that:

(1) The process of approval for investigational drugs, biological products, and devices in the United States often takes many years;

(2) Patients who have a terminal disease do not have the luxury of waiting until an investigational drug, biological product, or device receives final approval;

(3) The standards of the United States Food and Drug Administration for the use of investigational drugs, biological products, and devices may deny the benefits of potentially life-saving treatments to terminally ill patients;

(4) The State of Arkansas recognizes that patients who have a terminal disease have a fundamental right to attempt to pursue the preservation of their own lives by accessing available investigational drugs, biological products, and devices; and

(5) The use of available investigational drugs, biological products, or devices is a decision that should be made by the patient with a terminal disease in consultation with his or her physician.