“We had a chance this year to pass a narrowly crafted piece of legislation that would have safely allowed individuals with severe medical conditions to have access, and that bill couldn’t get out of committee,” said Wishart, a Democrat in the officially nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature. Anna Wishart, who co-chairs the group, announced Thursday on the legislative floor that the group had filed paperwork with the state Secretary of State’s office to kick off the latest petition effort. Last year, with only months to gather the roughly 87,000 signatures needed from registered voters, organizers failed to collect enough valid signatures in time to get the question on the November ballot. The state Supreme Court sided with the effort’s opponents and prevented it from going to voters. Instead, they argued, the measure posed two separate questions: whether residents should have the right to use marijuana for medical purposes, and whether private companies should be allowed to grow and sell it.
But opponents led by Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner sued, arguing that it violated state rules requiring ballot measures to focus on a single question. In 2020, the group came close to placing the issue on the general election ballot after meeting signature requirements. It will be the third time Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana launch a petition effort after two previous efforts failed. A group led by a Nebraska state lawmaker plans to again try to put the question of legalizing medical marijuana before state voters in November 2024.
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