A nonprofit organization seeking to put a medical marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot in Nebraska has collected 75% of the required signatures.
Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana says they’ve collected 65,000 signatures for their initiative to legalize medical marijuana and their companion initiative to protect physicians who recommend marijuana. This is 75% of the 87,000 signatures needed for the proposals to be voted on in November. However, the group aims to collect at least 30,000 more signatures by the July 3rd deadline to ensure enough valid signatures (as any signatures not from registered Nebraska voters and any duplicates are discarded).
Last month, the group announced they had reached an important milestone by collecting the minimum required signatures across at least 38 of the state’s 93 counties for both initiatives, a legal requirement for making the November ballot.
The first initiative would legalize the use, possession, and acquisition of limited quantities of cannabis for medical purposes by qualified patients who receive a written recommendation from a healthcare practitioner, and allow caregivers to assist qualified patients. The proposal would create the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission to oversee the registration and regulation of those who possess, manufacture, distribute, deliver, and dispense cannabis for medical purposes.
The second initiative would provide legal protections for doctors who recommend marijuana to their patients.
Polling released earlier this year — commissioned by the Neilan Strategy Group and conducted by Data Targeting Inc. — found that 70% of voters in the state support legalizing medical marijuana.
