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June 15, 2022Omaha, Neb. |  By: AP

Judge lifts major obstacle for Nebraska medical pot campaign

weed

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A federal judge in Nebraska has removed a major obstacle for activists who want to legalize medical marijuana via a ballot campaign, ruling that petition circulators no longer have to gather signatures from at least 5% of voters in 38 or more counties.

U.S. District Judge John Gerrard issued an order to temporarily bar the state from enforcing the requirement, which is enshrined in Nebraska's constitution to guarantee at least some buy-in from rural voters before an issue can appear on the statewide ballot.

The ruling comes at a critical time for medical marijuana supporters, who have until July 7 to submit at least 87,000 valid signatures on each of two petitions to Nebraska's secretary of state.