Backers of medical marijuana took the first step toward a 2022 petition drive by filing new language with the Secretary of State’s Office on Monday.
This time Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana is opting for a simple, direct approach with a proposed constitutional amendment saying: “Persons in the State of Nebraska shall have the right to cannabis in all its forms for medical purposes.”
The filing comes less than a month after the Nebraska Supreme Court booted the medical marijuana proposal from the 2020 general election ballot. The court majority ruled that the measure violated the Nebraska Constitution’s requirement that petition proposals stick to a single subject.
The new initiative is co-sponsored by State Sens. Anna Wishart and Adam Morfeld, co-chairs of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana. Barry Rubin, who spearheaded the 2020 signature drive, will run the 2022 initiative signature collection effort.
Wishart said the group decided to follow the lead of casino gambling supporters, who tied a simple constitutional amendment with separate petitions for the laws to implement the amendment.
“Families with loved ones suffering from conditions like epilepsy, PTSD, Parkinson’s and cancer have fought for years to make medical cannabis safely accessible in our state as it is in 33 other states,” she said. [Read more at Omaha World-Herald]
