The tragic death of key donor leaves Nebraska’s medicinal cannabis campaign in limbo

The tragedy has left a campaign to legalize medicinal cannabis in Nebraska scrambling to recruit new donors as the group aims to get two state ballot proposals this year.

The Omaha World Herald reported this week that the group “Nebrascans for medical marijuana has lost two people who were expected to make important contributions to the current legalization campaign.”

A donor who made contributions to the group’s previous failed bid to receive a medicinal cannabis proposal in the 2020 vote died in a plane crash, said Democratic Sen. Anna Wishart, a co-sponsor of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, of the Newspaper.

Another person expected to contribute to the group this year has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, according to the Omaha World Herald, which said Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana told supporters in an email Wednesday about the “big setback” informed.

The World Herald reported that “despite the loss of two key donors, Wishart remained confident the group could reach its $500,000 fundraising goal by May 1,” though she “refused to say how much the.” campaign has collected so far”.

According to the newspaper, “a month ago, the campaign had less than $30,000 in treasury.”

The group announced in September that it “recently submitted draft measures to the Nebraska Secretary of State and expects to begin distributing petitions later this month” to make two separate medicinal cannabis proposals that will be used this year Year to create the vote in the state of Cornhusker.

The first initiative would require the Nebraska legislature to enact new legislation that would protect state physicians who recommend medical cannabis treatment, and the patients who use it, from criminal prosecution.

The second proposal would require state legislatures to pass legislation establishing the regulatory framework for medical cannabis providers.

Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana is run by Crista Eggers, whose six-year-old son suffers from severe, intractable epilepsy.

Eggers said in a September announcement that patients like her son Colton “urgently need access to this drug.”

“Regardless of your political background, we should all agree that criminalizing a drug that has the potential to alleviate suffering is both cruel and inhumane,” Eggers said at the time. “The current policy does not reflect our family values ​​here in Nebraska and we will change that. We need everyone who believes in compassion for suffering people like my son to be a part of this movement and help us win 2022.”

According to the Omaha World Herald, “each petition required nearly 87,000 signatures” by the July 7, 2022 deadline to qualify for voting.

The newspaper reported: “Wishart believes each petition has around 25,000 signatures so far and said collecting signatures is one of the main reasons donations to these campaigns are so important.”

Without additional funding, “Wishart said it would not be impossible for the campaign to succeed, but it would be exceptional,” according to the World Herald.

Medical marijuana Nebrascans tried to get a proposal for the 2020 state vote, but after collecting nearly 200,000 signatures, the group was stymied by the Nebraska Supreme Court, which ruled that the initiative violated state rules, and not for them voting is in question.

At the time of the September announcement, Wishart struck an upbeat note, saying things would be different this time.

“It was true last year and it’s true today that the vast majority of Nebrascans are with us on this issue,” Wishart said. “Last year voters were wrongly denied the opportunity to enact reform, but this time we are ready for any legal challenge and we will succeed.”