Nebraska’s medical marijuana petitions fail to meet signature requirements
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Nebraska’s two medical marijuana petitions will not appear on the November ballot, Secretary of State Bob Evnen said.
Evnen announced Monday that both initiatives failed to meet the state’s signature requirements.
State petitions require a total of 86,776 signatures from registered voters statewide. Signatures from 5% of registered voters in at least 38 counties are also required.
See also: Court rules against Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana in petition lawsuit
On July 7, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana turned in over 90,000 signatures for both initiatives.
One petition focuses on giving patients the right to use medical cannabis when a doctor deems it necessary, while the second one deals with the production of cannabis.
Both initiatives fell about 10,000 signatures short of the required total. They also did not meet the multicounty signature requirement, according to Evnen.
For the Patient Protections initiative, 77,843 signatures were verified, and it met the 5% threshold in only 26 counties.
For the Cannabis Regulation initiative, 77,119 signatures were verified and it met the 5% threshold in only 27 counties.
“Certified letters have been mailed to the sponsors notifying them of the results of the signature review,” Evnen said.
The Secretary of State’s Office said it will have updates on the signature verifications for the Voter ID constitutional amendment initiative and the minimum wage initiative by the end of August.
Nebraska for Medical Marijuana co-sponsor and State Sen. Adam Morfeld said he was sad after learning the petitions failed.
“Myself and a lot of others are just really sad for all of the parents, the kids, and the veterans and others that are suffering from chronic medical conditions,” he said.
In contrast, some activists are satisfied with the verdict.
The organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana of Nebraska believes that legalizing marijuana’s medical use is one step closer to its full legalization.
“Commercialization and normalization of this drug has significant impact,” John Kuehn said. “Especially for some of our youngest and most vulnerable Nebraskans.”
The Secretary of State’s Office said it will have updates on the signature verifications for the Voter ID constitutional amendment initiative and the minimum wage initiative by the end of August.
More information can be found at sos.nebraska.gov/.
See also: Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana turns in over 90,000 signatures for both petitions
State Sen. Jane Day announced Monday night that she will introduce a bill to legalize medical marijuana in next year’s session.
On Twitter, State Sen. Anna Wishart said she is “heartbroken” that the petitions fell short of the signature requirements.
“We will take a short moment to mourn this loss, and then get up, dust off, and get back to work to legalize medical cannabis,” Wishart wrote.
I am heartbroken. I learned when everyone learned that our medical cannabis drive fell short of the signatures needed to qualify. We will take a short moment to mourn this loss, and then get up, dust off, and get back to work to legalize medical cannabis. pic.twitter.com/epJEif2Vnh
— Senator Anna Wishart (@NebraskaAnna) August 22, 2022
