On Thursday, legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives that would end the federal ban on marijuana. Today, it was reported that a petition will be circulated right here in the Cornhusker State that would put on the ballot a constitutional amendment that would also legalize the drug. For those like me who have long questioned this country’s legal stance on marijuana, this is much welcome news. While Barney Frank, one of the representatives who introduced the House bill, has admitted he doesn’t expect the bill to pass, the momentum appears to be shifting towards legalization in this country. As noted by the OWH, 16 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the medicinal use of marijuana. California recently put legalization to a vote, with 46.2% voting yes. I suspect without doing any research on the subject that once those voters who came of age before the 60s pass away, marijuana legalization could very well receive majority support in this country. So while I am highly skeptical that here in conservative Nebraska a bill like this will pass, especially at this time, I applaud the Nebraska Cannabis Coalition for working on this goal against seemingly overwhelming odds. I for one will be signing my name to this petition and will vote yes if it makes it on the ballot. I encourage others to do the same. There was a time when federalism was a meaningful concept in this country; wouldn’t it be great if Nebraska was the first state to really stand up on both legs against the federal government and its hypocritical, deleterious, immoral persecution of marijuana users by voting yes to this amendment?
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