Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana says early signature collecting efforts are paying off

In a post Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter, the ballot campaign committee said it had collected more than 72,000 signatures, including from registered voters in 88 counties.

And on Thursday, campaign manager Crista Eggers said Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana is closer to 75,000 signatures total for its two petitions that began circulating last September.

Eggers said the initiative petition is nearing the threshold to qualify in 24 of Nebraska’s 93 counties with less than four months to the deadline.

State law requires petitions to submit a number of valid signatures equal to 7% of all registered voters in the state, including at least 5% of voters in 38 counties.

Lincoln Sen. Anna Wishart, who has introduced legislation to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska and has sponsored the petition, said the campaign was proceeding “very well.”

Each petition in circulation — one would enact a new state statute protecting doctors who recommend cannabis and patients who use it for medical purposes; the other would legalize the production, supply and distribution of cannabis for medical reasons — will need to collect about 87,000 signatures before July 3.

This year marks the third election cycle in a row Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana has attempted to put the measure before voters.

In 2020, during the middle of the COVID pandemic, more than 122,000 signatures were submitted to qualify for the ballot, but the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled the language of the petition violated the state’s single-subject rule and removed it.

Then, in 2022, the death of a financial backer forced the campaign to shift to a full-on grassroots campaign, which fell about 8,000 signatures short of qualifying for the ballot.

That attempt also failed to qualify the measure in the 38 counties required under state law.

“We know that getting into the 93 different counties is the most difficult and most expensive part and takes the longest amount of time,” Eggers said. “We are on our way.”

Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana is hosting 50 signing events in 30 cities across the state this Saturday, according to Eggers, as it begins the next phase of its collection efforts.

“We want a strong finish to March, which will shape our strategy moving forward,” she said.

The ballot committee has hired roughly 50 paid volunteers to coordinate collection efforts across the state, and it continues to rely upon an army of unpaid volunteers as part of its grassroots approach, Eggers said.

Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana is also planning fundraisers in the coming weeks to support its effort.

The petition has been opposed by Smart Approaches to Marijuana Nebraska, which has run advertising urging Nebraskans not to sign, and others who said it would put the state on the path to legalizing recreational marijuana.