Quest to undo Nebraska medical marijuana hits Supreme Court

Alleged massive fraud committed by signature-gatherers last year should mean the undoing of Nebraska medical marijuana legalization, the state’s high court heard this week.The Nebraska Supreme Court is weighing a lawsuit filed by a former state lawmaker that seeks to force medical cannabis advocates to “prove” last year’s ballot question, overwhelmingly approved by voters, was actually valid.

ADVERTISEMENT John Kuehn, a former Republican state lawmaker and co-founder of anti-legalization advocacy organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana, launched a quest to undo medical marijuana legalization in Nebraska months before last November’s vote.Will the Nebraska Supreme Court cancel medical cannabis? A lower-court state judge last fall dismissed Kuehn’s lawsuit alleging that Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana relied on fraud to collect enough signatures to qualify two medical marijuana legalization measures for the ballot.

But Kuehn appealed to the high court, which in turn led some state lawmakers to refuse to touch medical cannabis regulation.“All we’re asking is that this court reverse and remand for a second phase of trial, where the sponsors will have a chance to prove that they gathered enough valid signatures,” Zachary Pohlman, an attorney for Kuehn, told the Supreme Court, according to Nebraska Public Media.

ADVERTISEMENT That’s despite judges earlier expressing skepticism that the state could unwind legalization after Secretary of State Bob Evnen certified the election.There’s no timeline as to when the court may rule.

Are Nebraska elected officials anti-cannabis? Kuehn seems to have moral support from state officials.Both Nebraska Gov.

Jim Pillen and state Attorney General Mike Hilgers have questioned whether the state medical marijuana measures are legal under either the state constitution or federal law.And Pillen has already led stat...