Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana Kicks Off 2024 Ballot Initiative

LINCOLN, Neb., Sept. 13, 2023 – PRESS RELEASE –  Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana (NMM), the ballot committee leading the effort to put the legalization of medical cannabis before voters in November 2024, hosted its signature drive kickoff event on Wednesday, Sept. 13 in Lincoln. NMM asked for state voters to sign its petition during the event and take materials to help collect signatures.

The event celebrated and garnered support for NMM’s 2024 signature drive launch. Patients, families, caregivers, and volunteers who have helped spearhead this effort for many years were in attendance, as well as campaign manager and advocate Crista Eggers, and NMM co-chairs, state Sen. Anna Wishart and former Sen. Adam Morfeld.

This is the third time the group has attempted to put this issue on the ballot. The first time in 2020 the campaign collected enough signatures (more than 196,000) and met the county qualification requirements only to be kicked off the ballot by a split court decision due to the state’s single-subject requirements.

The second initiative in 2022 experienced a significant setback when the campaign’s main donor died in a plane crash. The campaign forged ahead and collected more than 180,000 signatures on a grassroots budget, the bulk of which were collected over three months, but failed to meet the county qualification requirements.

“There was never a question that we would come back for a third time,” Eggers said. “This issue is not one we can give up on; it’s people’s lives we are fighting for. We started collecting earlier than we ever have, ensuring we have time on our side. We know that Nebraskans want to see this on the ballot, and we are going to do just that.”

The petition language consists of two petitions, both statutory—one to set up the doctor patient system and one to regulate the industry. The campaign will be required to collect approximately 87,000 valid signatures per petition and signatures are due for turn in on July 3, 2024.

If NMM is successful, the legalization of medical cannabis will go before Nebraska voters on the Nov. 5, 2024, general election ballot.

For more information on the event and sponsorship, visit nebraskamarijuana.org/2024fundraiser.