Arkansas is proceeding with a planned restriction on how Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits can be used, prohibiting purchases of candy and soda beginning this week, according to multiple reports. The move follows a recent federal court decision that had previously invalidated similar restrictions in other states as conflicting with federal law. Despite that ruling, Arkansas officials say they are pushing forward under the same general framework that a judge had vacated.
Fortune reports that Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders supports launching the ban Wednesday. The reports also note that retailers and grocers have raised practical concerns about enforcement readiness, including whether participating stores are prepared to implement the restriction immediately.
The Independent and Washington Times both describe the state as defying the court’s direction by implementing the candy-and-soda ban on schedule. The Winnipeg Free Press, covering the same development, similarly states Arkansas will move forward with the restriction despite the recent ruling.
