LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) – Here’s the latest update on the legal battle over Nebraska’s medical cannabis petitions:
A judge in Lancaster County has dismissed the main legal challenges to Nebraska’s two medical cannabis petitions, but the decision might be appealed.
On Tuesday, District Judge Susan Strong issued a 57-page ruling saying the case was really about “numbers.” The lawsuit, brought by former state senator John Kuehn, former State Board of Health member, along with support from Secretary of State Bob Evnen and the Attorney General’s Office, didn’t manage to invalidate enough petition signatures to stop the medical cannabis measures from being placed on the ballot.
The campaign to legalize medical cannabis in Nebraska had two petitions: one for legalizing medical marijuana and another for regulating it. To get these measures on the ballot, they needed to gather 86,499 valid signatures for each petition.
When Evnen certified the measures for the November ballot, he confirmed both petitions had more than enough signatures—almost 3,500 extra for each.
However, Judge Strong found that a few signatures—711 on the legalization petition and 826 on the regulation petition—didn’t meet the requirements. But she emphasized that this small number of signatures wasn’t enough to change the outcome. Even with these signatures excluded, the petitions still met the necessary legal standards.
Judge Strong also acknowledged that, due to the large number of signatures, there might have been a few mistakes or missed signatures in her decision. But she reassured everyone that, no matter what, the petitions still had enough valid signatures.
In her ruling, Judge Strong stated, “The petitions fulfill all constitutional and statutory requirements and are legally sufficient under Nebraska law.”
A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said they were reviewing the decision and considering their next steps.
