Another state's leaders want to stop medical marijuana

The old guard is still working hard to get the war on drugs back on track, state by state.

The cannabis industry is holding its breath until after the election. Both presidential candidates have embraced some kind of movement on marijuana, but the big question is how the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will approach the re-planning. Plus, Florida is deciding to become the next big recreational market and other states are trying to get ahead. And while almost 90% of the population supports it, the 10% who oppose it are still fighting to the end. Now leaders in another state want to stop medical marijuana. Nebraska is the latest country to ignore public opinion and will by trying to stop medical cannabis.

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In legal states, tax revenues have increased, crime has not changed, and youth consumption has declined. The American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians, as well as the federal agencies Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have all expressed the need to postpone additional research to uncover more medical benefits. But that makes no difference to Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers and Secretary of State Bob Evnen.

Citizens of the Cornhusker State launched a ballot initiative to bring medical marijuana to the state. The group Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana collected over 115,000 signatures. This was enough to move the initiative forward and give the public a chance to decide its fate. The state has a population of nearly 2 million, with 288+ over the age of 65. This is a group with increasing interest in using medical marijuana to treat chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety and other problems. But after certification, the Attorney General and the Secretary of State refused, claiming half of the signatures were invalid. Early voting has already begun, but they would use this issue to invalidate the results if the pro-marijuana group wins.

Attorney General Hilgers' office is moving beyond a 1919 Nebraska Supreme Court case involving a referendum against women's suffrage that thwarted the effort. A bench trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 29, a week before Election Day. Regardless of the outcome, the case will likely be appealed to the Nebraska Supreme Court.

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Like Florida, where Governor DeSantis pursued marijuana against the public will. Nebraska has a history. In 201, the Cannabis Compassion and Care Act was proposed in the state legislature. The legislation would have allowed certain patients with prescriptions to use marijuana in liquid or pill form (but not smoked leaf form) for medical purposes. After an initial vote of 27-12, the bill's sponsor, Senator Tommy Garrett, voted to shelve the bill until 2016. The bill faced strong opposition from Gov. Pete Ricketts and then Attorney General Doug Peterson. In 2020, a medical cannabis ballot measure was invalidated by the Nebraska Supreme Court. So it's up to voters to see what happens next.