State Sen. Anna Wishart Introduces Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill In Nebraska

Lincoln's Anna Wishart (D) introduced a bill (LB 588 ) Wednesday that would legalize medical marijuana for certified patients in Nebraska.

Qualifying medical conditions included in the bill’s language count:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,
• Autism with frequent or severe self-injurious or aggressive behavior;
• Cancer;
• Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis;
• Epilepsy;
• Glaucoma;
• Hepatitis C;
• HIV;
• Huntington’s disease;
• Parkinson’s disease;
• Spinal cord injury or disease with residual neurological deficits;
• Terminal illness with a probable life expectancy of under one year;
• Tourette’s syndrome;
• Conditions that cause severe nausea or cachexia;
• Severe and persistent muscle spasms;
• Severe or chronic pain that is not treatable with conventional medication other than opioids or physical interventions. 

1. Under the bill, homegrow for personal use is not allowed. 

Previous Marijuana Efforts In Nebraska

Last August, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana (NMM) failed to submit enough valid signatures to place the two initiatives on the November ballot. 

“Certified letters have been mailed to the sponsors notifying them of the results of the signature review,” Secretary of State Bob Evnen (R) stated at the time.

The state confirmed that the campaign was roughly 10,000 signatures short for each measure.

The first one would require lawmakers to pass laws protecting physicians who recommend medical cannabis treatment and patients who use it. The other would impose the legislature to set up rules for the medical cannabis program.

“To say I’m devastated would be an understatement,” Crista Eggers, the organizer behind the petition drive, said in an email to supporters. “Suffering Nebraskans should never be faced with having to move themselves or their families out of the state they call home just to access health care.”

Quickly after the defeat, the state lawmakers confirmed they plan to present a new measure to legalize medical marijuana in 2023.

“We will exhaust every measure possible to get Nebraskans the medical freedom they deserve and want,” State Senator Jen Day of District 49 said at the time.

Could this be the year Nebraskans get the chance to vote on medical cannabis legalization?

Photo: Benzinga Edit with image from Ramdlon, ganjaspliffstoreuk via Pixabay