A Nebraska state senator is proposing a ballot measure that would give Nebraska voters the opportunity to legalize medical marijuana in November, a move that’s been tried before to no avail.
Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln introduced a proposed constitutional amendment Thursday after several previous legalization bills stalled in the legislature.
For example, in 2015, independent state Sen. Tommy Garrett sponsored a constitutional amendment that gained little traction.
Wishart says she believes voters should have the opportunity to establish protections for people with chronic conditions who use marijuana to ease pain.
She says Nebraska state officials have failed to act.
The proposal would refer the issue to voters in the November general election.
MMJ advocates have tried to get the issue on the ballot but so far have not succeeded.
Nebraska’s law enforcement community has been highly critical of legal marijuana, particularly in neighboring Colorado.
In 2014, the state’s attorney general, Jon Bruning, joined with the Oklahoma AG in lawsuit to overturn Colorado’s recreational marijuana law.
Nebraska’s governor, Pete Ricketts, is also staunchly anti-cannabis and has said he plans to run for re-election in 2018.
– Associated Press and Marijuana Business Daily
