The proposal to legalize two medical cannabis is all set to be qualified for the November ballot in Nebraska. The federal judge struck down the previous law that made it difficult to legalize weed. The requirement was to get signatures from 5% of voters from nearly 38 counties.
The judge noted that such measures clearly violated the Equal Protection Clause according to the US constitution. As per existing laws in Nebraska, citizens who want to put any measure on the ballot need to get the support of 7% of registered voters, and this has to come from at least 38 counties of the total 93 in the state.
The Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana group argued that the county rule was unconstitutional and it violated the free speech and equal protection of the US constitution. This makes it very difficult, and the support of one voter in a rural area like Arthur County will become equal to more than 1000 support votes from Douglas County, which has more population.
The judge agreed that the 38-county rule was improper and issued an order to stop its enforcement. In this way, the statewide support will become more valid and sets the right platform to get the support of the required percentage of voters from the state.
The November ballot is now crucial, and the petition by cannabis supporters wants protection for doctors who prescribe patients with medical cannabis from legal hurdles. They need to collect around 87000 signatures, and the deadline is till the first week of July. The group is likely to get the required support across the state.