Two ballot measures will appear on your ballot in November which would legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. The first initiative would make it legal for physicians to prescribe medical cannabis, while the second initiative would regulate the dispensing of the drug. The reason for two separate ballot initiatives has to do with the single subject rule stipulated in the Nebraska State Constitution, which states in Article III, Section 2 that “Initiative measures shall contain only one subject.”

Medical marijuana is not medication. Medical marijuana covers such a wide range of applications that it defies the nature of what a medication is supposed to be. There is a clear difference between medication and medical marijuana. Medications isolate specific compounds or active ingredients in order to treat certain medical conditions, such as epilepsy or multiple sclerosis. Medications are subject to extensive testing, endure clinical trials for safety and efficacy, and are often subject to public hearings before they are ever approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Medications are closely regulated and are distributed according to dosages in milligrams. Medical marijuana would not be subject to any of this.

Medical marijuana is recreational marijuana disguised as medication. Medical Marijuana dispensaries would sell products such as vaporizers, edible candies, oils, tinctures, and patches, which all lack uniform dosing specificity. Levels of THC and CBD often differ greatly between cannabis products, batches, and dispensaries. Patients need to know what they are consuming. They also need to be assured that what they are consuming is safe and effective. Physicians, likewise, need to have confidence that the drug they are prescribing will work as they intend it to work. Pharmaceutical companies have already discovered cannabis derived medications which can treat diseases like epilepsy without the need for dispensaries or these kinds of unregulated recreational marijuana products.

Marijuana impairs driving. Last Thursday the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its final report on a March 22, 2022 collision between the 16-year-old driver of a Chevrolet Spark hatchback who was using marijuana and a gravel-hauling semi-truck in the small town of Tishomingo, Oklahoma. In that report, the NTSB stated that “…marijuana decreases motor coordination, slows reaction time, and impairs judgment of time and distance, all critical functions for driving.”

The Oklahoma incident is important because recreational marijuana remains illegal in that state while medical marijuana is legal. NTSB Chairwoman, Jennifer Homendy, went on to warn folks in Oklahoma about the dangers of driving under the influence of marijuana. In states where some form of marijuana use is legal, people oftentimes make the mistake of assuming that it is safe and legal to drive while impaired by the drug.

Traffic safety must come first. Jennifer Homendy went on to say, “Unfortunately, I think state laws that are legalizing recreational and medicinal use of marijuana have come before thoughts or action on what they are doing about traffic safety…They are far ahead on legalizing it, but very behind when it comes to traffic safety.” Drivers need to have confidence that other drivers they meet on the road are not going to be impaired by marijuana.

These are just a few of the many reasons why I stand against the legalization of medical marijuana. I encourage you to vote against these two initiatives when you see them on your ballot in November.