A petition that is intended to put medical marijuana on the ballot in 2020 has received approval from the Nebraska Secretary of State. This clears the way for the petitioners to start gathering signatures in order to have the ballot measure included among the issues to be voted on during the 2020 elections.
Medical marijuana activists, together with two state senators (Anna Wishart and Adam Morfeld) formed a committee last year to explore ways of getting voters to decide on the matter. This was after numerous attempts to legalize medical marijuana through legislative means failed. The senators involved in this petition are both Democrats.
The petition seeks to amend the constitution of Nebraska so that patients can be given a right to use, access, possess and safely use marijuana materials and products in order to alleviate serious medical conditions that a nurse practitioner or doctor regards as something that can be alleviated by the use of medical cannabis.
By law, petitioners are required to submit their petition to the secretary of state so that the wording of that petition can be approved. The advocates duly submitted their petition last month and it was approved on Friday last week (March 1).
Senator Morfeld announced that since the petition had been approved, plans to legalize medical cannabis in the state would now shift gears to the phase of collecting signatures in support of the petition.
That task of collecting signatures isn’t a small one given that the constitution stipulates that any petition must have the support (by way of signatures) of at least 10 percent of all the registered voters in the state.
Furthermore, the petitioners are required to collect signatures from a minimum of five percent of all the voters in at least 38 counties in the state (out of a total of 98 counties).
Senator Wishart has revealed that they will try to push for a legislative solution as they gather signatures for the ballot measure petition.
However, chances are slim for a bill legalizing marijuana to become law in the state. This is because Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) is determined to use his veto powers to block any law that seeks to legalize marijuana in the state. A ballot measure therefore seems the only realistic way to get medical marijuana legalized.
Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions (OTC: REFG) and MustGrow Biologics Corp. wish the petitioners all the best as they try to get medical cannabis legalized so that the patients in the state can have an extra treatment option for their medical challenges.
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