OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — This spring, volunteers tried to collect thousands of signatures to put the medical marijuana issue on the November ballot in Nebraska.
Monday they found out they missed the mark
"To say that it's devastating would be an understatement," Crista Eggers of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana said.
Eggers has fought this battle for years, access to medical marijuana for her is a personal fight.
"I have a son with intractable epilepsy," she said. "His epilepsy is not controlled despite every medical treatment that's available to him.
She said medical marijuana is the only treatment option for not just her son, but many others across Nebraska. Not everyone in the state agrees.
A group called Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) Nebraska is claiming victory in a statement: "Nebraska voters were not duped by the marijuana industry's Trojan Horse attempt to commercialize drug use under the guise of 'medicine', a claim as harmful as it is false."
Eggers said she's frustrated with the process and the legislature.
"I want them to listen to me as a mom begging with them to do something because the thought of having to wait until November 2024 when my child will be older and sicker, it should haunt them."
Eggers said she and volunteers who support her are not giving up
"We just can't stop," Eggers said. "We've just got to keep going and keep fighting because it's important and I believe in it and a lot of Nebraska believes in it."
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