Robert Celt
New Member
Proponents of medical marijuana in Nebraska say they will launch a petition drive with the goal of letting voters decide whether to legalize the drug for medicinal purposes in 2018.
Three groups that support medical cannabis recently closed the door on putting the question on the November general election ballot, said Maggie Graham, an officer of Omaha NORML, which stands for National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. They would have needed to gather tens of thousands of voter signatures by a July 7 deadline.
Instead, the groups will focus on drafting new ballot language to amend medical cannabis into the Nebraska Constitution. They hope to start the petition drive in 2017. It will rely heavily on volunteer circulators to gather the roughly 120,000 signatures they'll need from registered voters, Graham said.
"People are angry, people are upset," she said. "Polls show a majority of Nebraskans want medical cannabis, and unfortunately they weren't being heard by the Unicameral, or they were being ignored."
Other groups in the coalition are Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis – an organization led by mothers of children with severe epilepsy – and Legal Marijuana Now, which hopes to become a political party in the state.
The groups had pinned their hopes on a medical cannabis bill in the Nebraska Legislature, but the measure failed to advance in April. A solid majority of 30 state lawmakers supported the bill, but they came up three votes short of breaking a filibuster by opponents.
State Sen. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue, who sponsored Legislative Bill 643, said he would probably introduce another medical cannabis bill next year, if he wins re-election. He supports the petition effort but said another two years is too long for some patients.
"We're going to keep fighting," he said. "At the end of the day, it's about those sick and suffering people."
Medical marijuana is legal in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Supporters say the plant provides relief from a variety of ailments, including chronic pain, nausea, debilitating seizures, glaucoma and severe muscle spasms.
Opponents say the drug hasn't been proven effective in scientific studies and doesn't meet the dosing and purity standards of federally approved pharmaceutical medications. Other opponents, including Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, argue that many activists see medical marijuana as the first step toward broader legalization.
Even though medical cannabis proponents will have more time to collect signatures, they still face a daunting challenge if they plan to rely solely on volunteers, said Kent Bernbeck of Omaha, who has organized several petition drives and sued to make the process easier for citizens.
Over the last 22 years, only one petition drive – the ban on gay marriage in 2000 – succeeded using only volunteers, Bernbeck said.
"I guarantee you it will have to be a combination of volunteers and paid circulators," he said of the medical marijuana effort. Petition drives can cost $600,000 and up when using paid circulators, he added.
Graham declined to say how much the groups have raised so far, but it's enough to move forward with drafting the ballot language. It will be different from the medical marijuana petition filed with the Secretary of State's Office in 2014.
While the legislative bill would have limited medical cannabis to tightly regulated extracts or vaporizers, the ballot proposal will probably seek to allow patients to grow a limited number of marijuana plants and smoke the drug, Graham said. It is also likely to expand the list of qualifying medical conditions to include pain and post-traumatic stress disorder.
People may also encounter a separate marijuana-related petition drive. Signatures are being collected to get Legal Marijuana Now recognized as a political party in Nebraska, said Mark Elworth Jr., the sponsor of that drive.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: NE: Three Groups Trying To Put Medical Marijuana On 2018 Ballot
Author: Joe Duggan
Contact: Star Herald
Photo Credit: Frederic J. Brown
Website: Star Herald
Three groups that support medical cannabis recently closed the door on putting the question on the November general election ballot, said Maggie Graham, an officer of Omaha NORML, which stands for National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. They would have needed to gather tens of thousands of voter signatures by a July 7 deadline.
Instead, the groups will focus on drafting new ballot language to amend medical cannabis into the Nebraska Constitution. They hope to start the petition drive in 2017. It will rely heavily on volunteer circulators to gather the roughly 120,000 signatures they'll need from registered voters, Graham said.
"People are angry, people are upset," she said. "Polls show a majority of Nebraskans want medical cannabis, and unfortunately they weren't being heard by the Unicameral, or they were being ignored."
Other groups in the coalition are Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis – an organization led by mothers of children with severe epilepsy – and Legal Marijuana Now, which hopes to become a political party in the state.
The groups had pinned their hopes on a medical cannabis bill in the Nebraska Legislature, but the measure failed to advance in April. A solid majority of 30 state lawmakers supported the bill, but they came up three votes short of breaking a filibuster by opponents.
State Sen. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue, who sponsored Legislative Bill 643, said he would probably introduce another medical cannabis bill next year, if he wins re-election. He supports the petition effort but said another two years is too long for some patients.
"We're going to keep fighting," he said. "At the end of the day, it's about those sick and suffering people."
Medical marijuana is legal in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Supporters say the plant provides relief from a variety of ailments, including chronic pain, nausea, debilitating seizures, glaucoma and severe muscle spasms.
Opponents say the drug hasn't been proven effective in scientific studies and doesn't meet the dosing and purity standards of federally approved pharmaceutical medications. Other opponents, including Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, argue that many activists see medical marijuana as the first step toward broader legalization.
Even though medical cannabis proponents will have more time to collect signatures, they still face a daunting challenge if they plan to rely solely on volunteers, said Kent Bernbeck of Omaha, who has organized several petition drives and sued to make the process easier for citizens.
Over the last 22 years, only one petition drive – the ban on gay marriage in 2000 – succeeded using only volunteers, Bernbeck said.
"I guarantee you it will have to be a combination of volunteers and paid circulators," he said of the medical marijuana effort. Petition drives can cost $600,000 and up when using paid circulators, he added.
Graham declined to say how much the groups have raised so far, but it's enough to move forward with drafting the ballot language. It will be different from the medical marijuana petition filed with the Secretary of State's Office in 2014.
While the legislative bill would have limited medical cannabis to tightly regulated extracts or vaporizers, the ballot proposal will probably seek to allow patients to grow a limited number of marijuana plants and smoke the drug, Graham said. It is also likely to expand the list of qualifying medical conditions to include pain and post-traumatic stress disorder.
People may also encounter a separate marijuana-related petition drive. Signatures are being collected to get Legal Marijuana Now recognized as a political party in Nebraska, said Mark Elworth Jr., the sponsor of that drive.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: NE: Three Groups Trying To Put Medical Marijuana On 2018 Ballot
Author: Joe Duggan
Contact: Star Herald
Photo Credit: Frederic J. Brown
Website: Star Herald
