On Tuesday, May 20, the Nebraska Senate is scheduled to debate LB 677 with Amendment 1251. The bill includes a regulatory framework for legal medical cannabis sales, along with new restrictions. Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana is calling for passage of the bill with the amendment and asking supporters to call and email their state senators.
Without LB 677, patients have no access to medical cannabis. The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission has “a complete lack of resources” and no ability to carry out its duties to license medical cannabis businesses. Attorney General Mike Hilgers and others are still trying to overturn the medical cannabis initiatives in court. They believe their outrageous lawsuit to re-criminalize patients is best positioned if the Legislature doesn’t act. AG Hilgers is trying to kill LB 677 dishonestly, claiming that “in my view, would supercharge the black market as a recreational marijuana bill that has a whole host of negative impacts on the state of Nebraska.”
MPP believes the Legislature should implement the will of voters without imposing the restrictions contained in AM 1251 — such as prohibiting smoking and limiting qualifying conditions to a specific list. Sadly, there is no realistic prospect of that happening. Thirty-three votes out of 49 are needed on any bill, and the votes are not there to pass a better implementation bill.
The families behind Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana have sacrificed tremendously to bring relief to their loved ones. They are asking supporters to make a call and send an email in support of LB 677, Amendment 1251.
- Take Action: Urge your state legislators to support a compassionate medical cannabis program!
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Neb. Senate voting on medical cannabis bill
Nebraska: LB 1275 is NOT a medical cannabis bill
Please email the senators below to let them know you oppose LB 1275.
Opponents of medical cannabis are attempting to undermine the 2022 ballot campaign led by Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana. We need your help to stop them.
Last month, medical cannabis advocates pointed out in the Lincoln Journal Star that LB 1275 is a “poison pill” bill, a medical cannabis bill with no cannabis. The fact that the proposal has received praise from SAM — a lobbying group that has fought for years against medical cannabis — tells you all you need to know: LB 1275 is NOT a true medical cannabis bill.
LB 1275 is designed to be a stumbling block for the 2022 ballot initiative campaign. We need you to take action right now to help us defeat this bill.
Please send a short email to each of the state senators below (the list includes the sponsor of LB 1275 and members of the Judiciary Committee). Your message should be clear, polite, and only 2-5 sentences long.
- Sen. Lathrop: slathrop@leg.ne.gov
- Sen. Pansing-Brooks: ppansingbrooks@leg.ne.gov
- Sen. Brandt: tbrandt@leg.ne.gov
- Sen. DeBoer: wdeboer@leg.ne.gov
- Sen. Geist: sgeist@leg.ne.gov
- Sen. McKinney: tmckinney@leg.ne.gov
- Sen. Slama: jslama@leg.ne.gov
- Sen. Groene: mgroene@leg.ne.gov
You can read the full text of LB 1275 here. The Marijuana Policy Project has provided a summary here. Suggested points to make in your email:
- LB 1275 is an attempt to undermine the 2022 ballot initiative effort for medical cannabis. The state legislature has had years to act and has failed to do so. The voters of Nebraska deserve a chance to enact the policy they want.
- Despite being labeled a “medical cannabis bill,” LB 1275 would not create access to medical cannabis for anyone in Nebraska.
- Even if the bill is amended to provide for the production of medical cannabis in the state, the provisions are far too strict. Healthcare practitioners will be discouraged from participating, and the vast majority of patients who need access to medical cannabis will not be allowed to participate in the program envisioned by LB 1275.
Thank you for taking action. We need to send a clear message to state senators that LB 1275 is not supported by the medical cannabis community. Please forward this message to others and share the word on social media so others can take action, too.
And if you haven’t signed up to support Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, please visit the campaign website to get involved.
Nebraska advocates are rallying behind a 2022 ballot campaign for medical cannabis
Support the families and patients fighting for medical cannabis in Nebraska
Thanks to a new 2022 ballot initiative effort, Nebraskans may have an opportunity to end the criminalization of medical cannabis in their state next year.
Led by Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana (NMM), a ballot question committee, local advocates intend to qualify a pair of initiatives ahead of the November election next year. In total, they’ll need to gather about 175,000 valid signatures from voters across the state before the July 7, 2022 deadline. Sponsors of the initiatives, State Senators Anna Wishart and Adam Morfeld, recently filed drafts of the measures with the Nebraska Secretary of State. The campaign expects to begin circulating petitions later this month.
You can support the signature drive by donating directly to the campaign! A contribution of any amount will help print petitions, provide fuel for volunteers’ travel, and move the campaign closer to qualifying for the ballot.
The NMM campaign is now recruiting volunteers from across the state. They are working to organize local teams and mobilize supporters to be part of the grassroots signature drive. You can get involved by signing up here!
I hope you will support this important effort to bring compassionate cannabis laws to Nebraska. Please forward this email to other supporters and stay tuned for more updates as the petition language is finalized and the signature drive ramps up!
Nebraska medical cannabis advocates are ramping up for 2022
Sign up to become a volunteer signature gatherer.
Yesterday, Nebraska lawmakers effectively killed LB 474, legislation that would have established one of the most conservative medical cannabis programs in the country. Though a bipartisan majority of state senators voted to end a filibuster and allow the bill to proceed, it ultimately came up two votes short of meeting the necessary threshold.
While we hoped that enough lawmakers would listen to their constituents and do the right thing, this outcome was not entirely unexpected.
Now it’s up to the people of Nebraska to provide the relief that so many patients and families deserve. The ballot committee, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, is now rallying supporters and ramping up their signature drive to put medical cannabis on the ballot in 2022. Please take action now to support this effort:
- Make a contribution to help the campaign print petitions and hire staff to oversee the signature drive.
In 2020, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana overcame a pandemic and collected more than enough signatures to qualify the initiative — and they can do it again. Unfortunately, a deeply flawed ruling from the Nebraska Supreme Court kept the initiative off the 2020 ballot. But this time they’re backing a one-sentence constitutional amendment designed to avoid all potential legal challenges. They are also working with a team of legal experts to guide the drafting of complementary statutory language. In short, their plan is to replicate the successful model of the 2020 casino gaming initiatives that passed in Nebraska last year.
Nebraskans overwhelmingly support creating a system of safe, legal access to medical cannabis. Please support and get involved with the 2022 ballot campaign. With your help, the people will prevail.
Nebraskans are fighting to keep medical marijuana on the ballot
Contribute to the 2020 campaign’s legal fund to help them defeat their opponents’ lawsuit.
Last week, Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen informed Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana that they had succeeded in collecting enough signatures to certify their constitutional medical marijuana amendment for the ballot this fall. He also dismissed opponents’ last minute request to not certify the initiative.
Now, in another desperate attempt to deny Nebraskans their constitutional right to vote on citizen-initiated ballot measures, opponents have filed a lawsuit to strip medical marijuana from the ballot. Using arguments similar to those already dismissed by the secretary of state, the lawsuit claims the measure will cause “voter confusion.”
There’s nothing confusing about the initiative, which establishes, in plain language, a constitutional right for Nebraskans with serious health conditions to legally and safely access medical marijuana with their doctor’s approval. Opponents know that if voters have an opportunity to vote, the medical marijuana amendment will become law, and that’s why they’re willing to try anything to remove it from the ballot.
Will you chip in right now and support the campaign’s legal fund to help them ensure medical marijuana stays on the ballot?
Patients and families across Nebraska have fought for years to enact a compassionate medical marijuana law, and now they’re closer than ever. Earlier this year, the campaign, with MPP’s help, overcame all odds and collected more than 120,000 signatures in the final month leading up to the deadline.
Opponents are now trying to deny all Nebraskans their fundamental right to enact laws through the initiative process. This is an attack on patients who need medical marijuana and Nebraska’s ballot initiative process. We cannot let them win.
Nebraska campaign submits signatures to put medical cannabis on the ballot
Exciting news! Last Thursday, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana submitted over 182,000 signatures to the Secretary of State in support of their initiative to legalize medical cannabis for patients with serious health conditions. The campaign needs roughly 121,000 valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
Donate now to support the medical cannabis campaign in Nebraska!
Since last year, the Nebraska team recruited hundreds of volunteers who gathered over 33,000 signatures — including 14,000 collected in just the last two and a half weeks. MPP staff played a central role in the effort and contacted over 35,000 voters to ask them to sign in the final days of the signature drive!
We’re confident the campaign collected enough signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot, but we expect a well-funded opposition effort to emerge, led by politicians like Gov. Pete Ricketts. Patients and families in Nebraska need our help:
Can you contribute $25, $50, or $100 to help support families and patients in Nebraska?
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Let’s make sure the Nebraska team has what they need to see this through and pass a compassionate medical cannabis law in November.
Nebraska campaign submits over 182,000 signatures to qualify 2020 medical marijuana ballot initiative
This afternoon, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, a 2020 ballot initiative committee, will deliver over 182,000 signatures gathered from all 93 counties in the state in support of their ballot initiative to establish legal protections for medical marijuana patients with serious health conditions. If approved by a majority of voters in November, the initiative would allow patients to access and use medical marijuana as recommended by their physician or nurse practitioner.
To qualify for the ballot, the campaign needed to submit over 121,000 valid signatures, representing over 10% of the voters in the state. The campaign also had to collect signatures from at least 5% of voters in a minimum of 38 counties across Nebraska.
Since last year, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana has recruited hundreds of volunteers who gathered over 33,000 signatures for the campaign, including 14,000 collected in just the last two and half weeks.
In the coming weeks, state and local officials will tally the signatures collected by the campaign to confirm that enough valid signatures were submitted to qualify the initiative for the November 3 general election ballot. A decision is expected by mid-August.
More information about the initiative can be found at www.nebraskamarijuana.org.
The 2020 Nebraska medical marijuana campaign just got a big boost
I’ve got some exciting news to share!
Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, which has been leading a signature drive for a constitutional ballot initiative for the past year with MPP’s help, is now partnering with a new group to significantly expand their efforts.
ADOPT, led by former Republican state senator Tommy Garret who has long fought for medical marijuana, views the measure as complementary to another goal: property tax reform. The organization will soon hire a paid petition firm to assist in gathering the signatures needed to qualify before the July deadline. Read more about this exciting development in Marijuana Moment.
Thanks to the hard work of hundreds of volunteers, we’ve already seen support for medical marijuana steadily increase across the state. And now, with this new partnership, it’s more likely than ever that the initiative will qualify for the November ballot.
Now’s a great time to help this effort in Nebraska build even more momentum. Make a donation to ensure the campaign will continue to have the resources necessary to take on powerful politicians in the state who oppose medical marijuana. Let’s help Nebraskan patients and their families win the compassionate reform they deserve.
Thank you!