Two proposed referendums in Nebraska that would legalize medical marijuana and protect MMJ patients from prosecution appear to have qualified for the state’s November ballot.
But Secretary of State Bob Evnen has asked county election offices to continue verifying signatures until they reach the 110% threshold required by state law.
Separate petitions to put the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection Initiative and the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Initiative on the ballot both surpassed the requirement of 87,126 valid signatures to make it onto the Nov. 5 ballot, according to a Friday news release from the secretary of state’s office.
The release noted that the petitions had not yet been certified but confirmed that 89,051 valid signatures had been collected.
The measures “will qualify” once verification and certification is complete, according to the release.
Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, the group behind both measures, submitted more than 114,000 signatures for both petitions on July 3.
The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Initiative would create the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission, which would regulate medical marijuana businesses in the state.
The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection Initiative would ensure consumers and their caregivers don’t face legal consequences for using MMJ recommended by a health care provider.
Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana tried two other times to get MMJ legalization on the ballot – in 2020 and 2022 – but did not succeed.
