‘Failure to produce’: Former state senator files lawsuit to stop certification of medical marijuana petitions

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WELL, TONIGHT THERE IS A NEW EFFORT TO REMOVE MEDICAL MARIJUANA FROM THE NOVEMBER BALLOT. THANKS FOR JOINING US. I’M ROB MCCARTNEY. I’M WAVERLE MONROE. THIS IS COMING ON THE EVE OF NEBRASKA’S BALLOT CERTIFICATION DEADLINE. FORMER STATE SENATOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE GROUP CALLED SMART APPROACHES TO MARIJUANA, IS WORKING TO INVALIDATE TWO MEDICAL MARIJUANA PETITIONS AND THAT LAWSUIT, FILED BY JOHN KEANE, ALLEGES SEVERAL VIOLATIONS WITHIN THE PETITIONS AND THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S MADDIE AUGUSTINE BREAKS DOWN WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR. MANY ROB WAVERLE ON AUGUST 30TH, NEBRASKA’S SECRETARY OF STATE, BOB EVNEN ANNOUNCED UNOFFICIALLY THE PETITIONS TO LEGALIZE AND REGULATE MEDICAL MARIJUANA HAD EXCEEDED THE NECESSARY REQUIREMENTS FOR VERIFICATION AND WOULD QUALIFY FOR THE NOVEMBER ELECTION. ONCE CERTIFIED, CERTIFICATION IS COMPLETE. NOW, LIKE YOU SAID, THAT CERTIFICATION DEADLINE IS TOMORROW AND THIS LAWSUIT SAYS IT SHOULDN’T HAPPEN IN JULY. AFTER MONTHS OF WORK, NEBRASKANS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA SUBMITTED MORE THAN 114,000 SIGNATURES IN SUPPORT OF TWO PETITIONS, ONE TO LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND ONE TO REGULATE PRESCRIPTIONS. BUT NOW, IN A LAWSUIT FILED THURSDAY AFTERNOON, JOHN KEANE, CO-FOUNDER OF SMART APPROACHES TO MARIJUANA, ASKS A JUDGE TO STOP SECRETARY OF STATE BOB EVNEN FROM CERTIFYING THE TWO MEDICAL MARIJUANA BALLOT MEASURES FOR THE NOVEMBER 5TH ELECTION. THE LAWSUIT OUTLINES SEVEN DIFFERENT VIOLATIONS, INCLUDING POSSIBLE INVALID PETITION SIGNATURES. KEANE CITES SEVERAL REASONS WHY SIGNATURES WERE INVALID, LIKE A DUPLICATE SIGNATURE, NON-REGISTERED VOTER, OR A SIGNER DID NOT PROVIDE AN ADDRESS, BUT THE LAWSUIT SAYS HE IS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A NUMBER OF INVALID SIGNATURES BECAUSE NOT ALL OF THE SIGNATURE PAGES FOR THE PETITIONS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED TO HIM, SAYING, QUOTE, PLAINTIFF HAS GOOD REASON TO BELIEVE THAT AFTER EXCLUDING ALL OF THE INVALID SIGNATURES AS REQUIRED BY LAW, THERE WILL NOT BE ENOUGH VALID SIGNATURES ON THE SIGNATURE PAGES OF THE PETITIONS TO SATISFY THE MINIMUM SIGNATURE THRESHOLD. KEANE ALSO ALLEGES THE PETITIONS VIOLATE THE SINGLE SUBJECT RULE AND FEDERAL LAW. BUT NEBRASKANS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA CAMPAIGN MANAGER KRISTA EGGERS ISN’T CONVINCED, SAYING, QUOTE, SECRETARY EVNEN DECLARED THAT BOTH NEMAHA INITIATIVES COLLECTED ENOUGH VALID SIGNATURES TO BE CERTIFIED. WE ARE CONFIDENT NMNM SATISFIED ALL LEGAL REQUIREMENTS AND GATHERED THE REQUIRED SIGNATURES TO QUALIFY FOR PLACEMENT ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT. I REACHED OUT TO NEBRASKANS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA. THEY TELL ME THERE HAS NOT BEEN A HEARING SCHEDULED FOR THIS LAWSUIT YET. WE ALSO REACHED OUT TO SECRETARY EV

“]] Former state senator and co-founder of the group Smart Approaches to Marijuana John Kuehn asked a judge to stop the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office from certifying petitions regarding medical marijuana.  Read More