Current:Home > ContactMeasures to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska can appear on November ballot, official says-VaTradeCoin
Measures to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska can appear on November ballot, official says
lotradecoin reliability View Date:2024-12-25 23:10:17
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A group seeking to legalize marijuana for medical use in Nebraska has gathered enough signatures to get the issue before voters in November, the state’s top election official said Friday.
Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana announced earlier this year that it had gathered about 114,000 signatures — well more than the approximately 86,000 needed — for each of two petitions: one that would allow marijuana for medical use and the other to regulate the medical marijuana industry in the state.
Signatures must also be collected from 5% of the registered voters in at least 38 of Nebraska’s 93 counties to qualify for the ballot.
Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen said his office has so far verified more than 89,000 signatures for each and that both petitions met the 5% threshold in 51 counties.
Evnen said county election officials are still in the process of 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 to certify the November ballot is Sept. 13.
It’s the third effort by Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana to get the issue on the ballot.
In 2020, the group came close after meeting signature requirements. But opponents sued, arguing that it violated state rules requiring ballot measures to focus on a single question. 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.
The state Supreme Court sided with the effort’s opponents and prevented it from going to voters.
In 2022, with only months to do so, organizers failed to collect enough signatures to get the question on the November ballot.
“After years of hard work, we are beyond excited that Nebraskans will finally have the opportunity to have their voices heard on this issue in November,” said Crista Eggers, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana’s campaign manager. “Our fight has been long, it has been hard, but we have never given up. Today we celebrate that very soon, patients in this state will have access to medical cannabis treatment.”
Dozens of states have legalized marijuana for either medical or recreational use, most recently in Ohio last November. This fall, voters will weigh in on legalizing recreational marijuana in North Dakota, South Dakota and Florida.
In May, the federal government began a process to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Shanghai bear cub Junjun becomes breakout star
- Princess Charlotte and Prince George Make Adorable Appearance at King Charles III's Coronation Concert
- A town employee quietly lowered the fluoride in water for years
- What Would a City-Level Green New Deal Look Like? Seattle’s About to Find Out
- Taylor Swift makes history as most decorated artist at Billboard Music Awards
- A public payphone in China began ringing and ringing. Who was calling?
- Picking a good health insurance plan can be confusing. Here's what to keep in mind
- Leaking Well Temporarily Plugged as New Questions Arise About SoCal Gas’ Actions
- Woody Allen and Soon
- Jana Kramer Details Her Surprising Coparenting Journey With Ex Mike Caussin
Ranking
- Singaporean killed in Johor expressway crash had just paid mum a surprise visit in Genting
- Princess Charlotte and Prince George Make Adorable Appearance at King Charles III's Coronation Concert
- The FDA has officially declared a shortage of Adderall
- Sister of Saudi aid worker jailed over Twitter account speaks out as Saudi cultural investment expands with PGA Tour merger
- Worst. Tariffs. Ever. (update)
- Wisconsin mothers search for solutions to child care deserts
- Inside the Love Lives of The Summer I Turned Pretty Stars
- Game, Set, Perfect Match: Inside Enrique Iglesias and Anna Kournikova's Super-Private Romance
Recommendation
-
China says Philippines has 'provoked trouble' in South China Sea with US backing
-
There's a spike in respiratory illness among children — and it's not just COVID
-
10 Gift Baskets That Will Arrive Just in Time for Mother’s Day
-
We Bet You Don't Know These Stars' Real Names
-
SCDF aids police in gaining entry to cluttered Bedok flat, discovers 73
-
8 Answers to the Judge’s Climate Change Questions in Cities vs. Fossil Fuels Case
-
Jay Inslee on Climate Change: Where the Candidate Stands
-
A town employee quietly lowered the fluoride in water for years