Nebraska Voters Pass Medical Cannabis Reforms but Legal Challenge Remains

Nebraska’s two medical cannabis initiatives — one seeking to legalize medical cannabis and another to establish a regulated medical cannabis marketplace — were approved on Tuesday with 71% and 67% voter support, respectively. There remains a legal challenge to the initiatives, however, that could stymie the results.

Full story after the jump.

Voters in Nebraska on Tuesday passed medical cannabis reforms with voters approving the legalization measure 71% to 29% and the regulation measure 67% to 34%, according to Ballotpedia data. Both measures needed passage in order for a medical cannabis industry to operate in the state; however, the final decision as to whether they will take effect will be up to a state court which has heard arguments over the last week about whether the campaign collected signatures in accordance with state law. 

Lancaster County District Court Judge Susan Strong on Monday ruled that state officials must count the votes, but she could still rule in favor of Secretary of State Bob Evnen and John Kuehn, a former state senator and former State Board of Health member, who contend that the campaign violated state law during the signature gathering process.   

According to the Nebraska Examiner, Strong could Side with Kuehn and Evnen outright, voiding the election results, side with Kuehn and Evnen but allow the ballot sponsors to try to cure the “invalidity” of enough signatures in a second phase of the trial, or side with the ballot sponsors, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, which would end the lower court trial and leave the election results intact. 

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