Advocates in Nebraska, one of many few remaining states within the U.S. that haven’t enacted medical hashish laws, just lately filed paperwork to get a medical hashish initiative on the poll in 2024.
In keeping with the Nebraska Examiner, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana will want greater than 200,000 signatures for the initiative to qualify. The group’s spokesperson, Crista Eggers, hopes that the individuals will override the selections of her state legislature who’ve refused to hearken to their constituents. “Now we have no alternative however to maintain petitioning our authorities,” said Eggers. “The Legislature refuses to behave regardless of the need of over 80% of Nebraskans, from all events, areas, ages, and so on., supporting this.”
Eggers additionally spoke to the Lincoln Journal Star about their hope for medical hashish. “We all know the individuals assist this,” said Eggers. “We’re going to execute and put that into movement to have protected and controlled medical hashish in Nebraska.”
Eggers’ eight-year-old son has been experiencing epileptic seizures since he was two years outdated. She and her household tried a number of medicines that didn’t enhance her son’s situation, however finally tried medical hashish with success. She has spent the final seven years advocating and dealing towards legalization for her son and different households throughout the state.
In keeping with the group’s web site, it takes roughly three weeks for the state to certify the initiative. After that, the group can start to gather signatures.
Medical hashish can present aid to Nebraskans who’re struggling. We’re among the many 1000’s of households and sufferers who want entry,” the Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana states on its web site. “Whether or not it’s a neighbor or a liked one or a buddy, most Nebraskans know somebody who struggles with a critical well being situation. However medical hashish isn’t an choice in our state—even when a health care provider recommends it.”
In 2020, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana’s poll initiative was stripped from the poll by the Nebraska Supreme Court docket. The court docket acknowledged that the initiative violated constitutional necessities for a “single topic” rule, which prompted the group to as a substitute create two initiatives that individually addressed a regulatory framework and established protections for caregivers from arrest.
LB-474 was additionally launched within the state legislature in 2021 to think about medical hashish, however was two votes quick with a purpose to go. Nicole Hochstein, a Nebraska mom of a kid who suffers from epilepsy, described her emotions as “Devastated. Damaged. In items as a result of they actually voted my youngster’s life away.”
A petition drive in August 2022 didn’t obtain sufficient signatures for the 2022 poll. Though the 184,000 signatures the group collected weren’t sufficient, and regardless of funding woes, the group determined to proceed working towards 2024.
In December 2021, former Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts was featured in an advert paid for by Good Approaches to Marijuana that solidified his opposition on the subject of medical hashish. “The one distinction between medical marijuana and leisure marijuana is phrase alternative,” the governor mentioned. “Medical doctors can’t prescribe it and pharmacists can’t present it as a result of it’s not drugs.”
Earlier that 12 months, he made statements claiming that hashish “is a harmful drug that may influence our children” and “for those who legalize marijuana, you’re gonna kill your children.”
Present Gov. Jim Pillen isn’t a staunch advocate of hashish, however in February he did affirm assist of FDA-approved medicines. “I’m a 100% believer in prescription authority. That’s a spot the FDA has finished job in over the previous a number of years. I’m a proponent of prescription marijuana use if it’s authorised via the FDA,” he said.
Medical hashish legal guidelines are nonetheless lacking in different states similar to Idaho, Indiana, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Within the People for Protected Entry 2022 State of the States Report, all of those states, together with Nebraska, had been scored with an “F” throughout the board for lack of laws and entry for sufferers.
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