By Ramone Tarnaski

In Nebraska, there is a renewed push to legalize medical and recreational marijuana. Lawmakers have announced they will collect 250,000 signatures to put a medical initiative on the ballot in 2022. Nebraska voters are already weighing the pros and cons of the proposal, and they are not alone in their decision.

“I think there are some positives to what has been said, but everything has to be within its bounds and I think that has a positive aspect”, Brown said.

Adam Morfeld, a Nebraska state senator, said many voters are on board with medical and recreational marijuana and he is pushing for its legalization. I also know that many Nebraskans have decided that Nebraska has a lot of people who not only come and stay in Nebraska but live in Nebraska, "Morfeld said. I think it would be beneficial because if you don't stay and abuse it, people will.

The decision to legalize medical marijuana has been almost eluded voters for years, but the Nebraska Supreme Court has withdrawn it before the 2020 election. Some voters said the new effort gives them hope, especially after the recent success with recreational marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington.

“It would ensure that a bunch of Nebraskans who already use marijuana doesn't use it illegally”, Morfeld said.”It would allow people with medical conditions to use it, but if it is beneficial to someone who needs it and it is beneficial to them and they are doing a recreational activity, so be it. If not, that's not for me”, Brown said of medical marijuana laws in Colorado and Washington, and other states.

Governor Pete Ricketts has long opposed the legalization of medical marijuana, and he is not alone in his opposition. “It reduces productivity and makes jobs less secure”, Ricketts said in a statement from his office last year.