The Nebraska Supreme Court heard arguments Sept. 3 to determine whether a ballot initiative to legalize medical cannabis can go before voters this November, according to a Lincoln Journal Star report.
Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen approved the measure for the state’s ballot Aug. 28, after Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana submitted enough signatures in July to place the issue before voters this fall.
That same day, Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner challenged the measure, arguing that it violates state rules that mandate that ballot initiatives must focus on a single question.
Wagner’s attorney, Mark Fahleson, argued during the Sept. 3 hearing that the ballot question is “confusing” and could create “voter doubt,” the Lincoln Journal Star reported.
The initiative’s sponsors argued that the its provisions “share a natural and necessary connection with the measure’s purpose,” which is to provide Nebraskans legal access to medical cannabis for serious medical conditions in cases approved by a doctor or nurse practitioner, according to the news outlet.
The Nebraska Supreme Court has until Sept. 11 to issue a final ruling in the case, NTV reported.