OMAHA, Nebraska — A group trying to legalize marijuana for medical use in Nebraska has collected enough signatures to put the issue before voters in November, the state’s top elections official said Friday.
Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana announced earlier this year that it had collected approximately 114,000 signatures — well over the 86,000 needed — for each of two petitions: one to allow marijuana for medical use and the other to regulate the medical marijuana industry in the state.
To qualify for the ballot, signatures must also be collected from 5% of registered voters in at least 38 of Nebraska’s 93 counties.
Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen said his office has verified more than 89,000 signatures for both petitions so far, and that both petitions met the 5% threshold in 51 counties.
Evnen said county election officials are still verifying signatures on the petitions, and so he has not yet certified the ballot measures. If the count reaches 110% of the total number of signatures needed, officials will stop verifying signatures and certify the petitions for the November ballot.
The deadline for certifying November ballots is September 13.
It’s the third attempt by Nebraska residents to get medical marijuana on the ballot.
In 2020, the group came close after meeting the signature requirements. But opponents accused, arguing that it violated state rules requiring ballot measures to address a single question. Instead, they argued, the measure asked two separate questions: whether residents should have the right to use marijuana for medical purposes, and whether private businesses should be allowed to grow and sell it.
The state Supreme Court sided with opponents of the effort and prevented it from going to the voters.
In 2022, with only a few months left, not picked up Enough signatures to get the question on the ballot in November.
“After years of hard work, we are beyond excited that Nebraskans will finally have the opportunity to make their voices heard on this issue this November,” said Crista Eggers, campaign director for Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana. “Our fight has been long, it has been tough, but we have never given up. Today, we celebrate that patients across this state will soon have access to medical cannabis treatment.”
Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner, who originally filed the lawsuit that killed the measure from the 2020 ballot, remains opposed to legalizing medical marijuana, saying it “numbs the public’s perception of the harms of marijuana.”
“It’s a gateway drug to recreational marijuana,” Wagner said Friday. “It’s not a drug; it’s a weed. If it were to get FDA approval, my opinion might change.”
In May, the federal government has started a process to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.
Dozens of states have legalized marijuana for both medical and recreational use, most recently in Ohio last November. This fall, voters will cast their ballots on whether to legalize recreational marijuana in North Dakota, South Dakota And Florida.