Nebraska advocates for medical cannabis have initiated a campaign to include a medical marijuana measure on the 2024 state ballot, reflecting their commitment as one of the last U.S. states without such legislation.
Reported by the Nebraska Examiner, the effort, spearheaded by Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, requires collecting over 200,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot. Crista Eggers, the group’s spokesperson, is driven by the legislative resistance. “Despite overwhelming support from Nebraskans across all demographics, the legislature has been unresponsive,” Eggers said. “We are left with no option but to continue our advocacy.”
In her conversation with the Lincoln Journal Star, Eggers emphasized the widespread community backing. “The people clearly support us,” she remarked. “Our goal is to implement a secure and regulated medical cannabis framework in Nebraska.”
Eggers is passionately invested in the cause, motivated by her eight-year-old son’s positive response to medical cannabis following ineffective conventional treatments for his epileptic seizures. Her advocacy is fueled by the desire to aid similar families throughout Nebraska.
According to the group’s website, it takes about three weeks for the state to approve the initiative, after which signature gathering can commence.
“Thousands of families, including mine, desperately need access to medical cannabis in Nebraska,” the Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana declare on their website. “Most Nebraskans know someone battling severe health issues where medical cannabis could help, yet it remains inaccessible even if recommended by a healthcare provider.”
The group’s previous 2020 initiative was removed from the ballot by the Nebraska Supreme Court due to not adhering to the ‘single subject’ rule, leading to a revised approach with two separate proposals focusing on regulation and caregiver protections. Additionally, legislative efforts like LB-474 in 2021 narrowly missed passing by two votes, deeply affecting supporters like Nicole Hochstein, whose child also suffers from epilepsy.
An earlier petition drive in August 2022 fell short despite gathering 184,000 signatures. Despite these challenges and funding issues, the advocates remain committed to the 2024 goal.
In December 2021, opposition from former Governor Pete Ricketts was highlighted in an advertisement funded by Smart Approaches to Marijuana, where he criticized the medicinal claims of cannabis. Earlier that same year, he controversially stated that legalizing marijuana could be lethal for children.
While current Governor Jim Pillen is not an ardent supporter, he has expressed conditional support for FDA-approved cannabis treatments. “I firmly believe in the FDA’s authority to approve medications, including cannabis, if it meets their standards,” he stated in February.
Like Nebraska, other states such as Idaho, Indiana, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Wyoming also continue to lag in medical cannabis legislation, all receiving poor ratings in the Americans for Safe Access 2022 State of the States Report.
