Nebraska may be getting a little bit closer to legalizing marijuana as Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana has submitted petition signatures.
The campaign has submitted over 182,000 signatures in support of a statewide legalization ballot initiative. The campaign had only needed 121,000 of those signatures to be validated to secure the initiative’s spot on the ballot. The signatures needed to be from at least 5 percent of voters in at least 39 counties but the campaign said they have signatures from all of Nebraska’s 93 counties.
The signature campaign had been announced back in March and the group said they have collected at least 14,000 signatures over the last two weeks.
State Senator Anna Wishart (D), co-chair of the Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana campaign committee has said advocates are “confident” they’ve met the state requirements to put the issue to voters in November.
“This signature drive included a truly impressive feat of grassroots mobilization. We would not have crossed the finish line without the tireless efforts of advocates, patients, families, volunteers, and hardworking Nebraskans who believe in this cause. We’re also proud to say that we registered over five thousand new voters from across the state,” Wishart stated.
Heartland Strategy Group President Barry Rubin has said that the coronavirus pandemic “severely impacted” signature-gathering efforts for the petition but said “the dedication of … petition circulators, along with the passionate support for this issue from Nebraskans of all backgrounds” helped to push the initiative ahead.
“In the coming months, we will be making the case to voters that establishing a system of safe access for medical cannabis, as 33 other states have done, will be tremendously beneficial for the people of Nebraska,” Rubin said.
