A 2022 ballot campaign for medical cannabis is picking up steam in Nebraska. Led by a coalition of families, patients, state senators, and other allies, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana intends to qualify a pair of initiatives ahead of the November election next year by gathering roughly 250,000 signatures across the state before the July 7, 2022 deadline.
The campaign recently filed drafts of the measures with the Nebraska Secretary of State and expects to begin circulating petitions later this month. Crista Eggers, a mother of two, is leading the effort to organize a statewide signature drive. One of Eggers’ sons, Colton, is six years old and has severe intractable epilepsy. Alongside other families and patient advocates, Eggers has helped build a grassroots movement in recent years to establish a medical cannabis program in Nebraska. State Senators Anna Wishart and Adam Morfeld, who have previously championed medical cannabis bills in the state legislature, are also helping spearhead the 2022 ballot effort.
Eggers is excited to officially launch the signature drive by the end of the month and has called on fellow Nebraskans to be part of the quickly growing grassroots campaign:
“We’ve received so much encouragement from individuals all across the state, who support the many patients like our son Colton, who desperately need access to this medicine. No matter what your political background is, we should all agree that criminalizing a medicine that has the potential to alleviate suffering, is both cruel and inhumane. The current policy doesn’t reflect our family values here in Nebraska, and we’re going to change that. We need everyone who believes in compassion for suffering individuals like my son, to be part of this movement and help us win in 2022.”
State Senator Adam Morfeld added:
“It’s heartbreaking and senseless that politicians are standing in the way of families and patients who desperately need safe, legal access to medical cannabis. But we will not stop fighting for them. We hope that every Nebraskan will stand with us and help our campaign succeed by getting involved and supporting the effort however they can.”
The campaign has recruited hundreds of volunteers from over 50 counties so far. They are working to organize local teams and mobilize supporters to be part of the grassroots signature drive. The campaign plans to release the full text of both medical cannabis initiatives once the petitions are officially approved for circulation by the state, which will likely be later this month.