Nebraska medical marijuana ballot initiative might fall short of signatures

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Organizers of a medical marijuana legalization campaign in Nebraska say they’re in danger of missing their signature goal to qualify for the November general election ballot. Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana says it still needs to gather thousands of signatures ahead of Thursday’s submission deadline set by the state.

The campaign suffered a major blow when one of its top donors died, forcing organizers to rely primarily on volunteers. The campaign needs valid signatures from 7% of Nebraska’s registered voters, roughly 87,000 voters, to appear on the ballot.

Voters would decide in November whether to legalize the drug for medical uses. Some prominent elected officials, including Gov. Pete Ricketts, remain firmly opposed to legalization and have actively fought the measure.