The conservative state of Nebraska could soon be turning a verdant shade of green, what with two lawmakers planning to include a measure on the 2020 ballot for legal medical cannabis in Nebraska.

Two Lincoln-based Democrats, Sens. Anna Wishart and Adam Morfeld, revealed the “Nebraskans for Sensible Marijuana Laws.”

This petition could help medicinal cannabis to be written into the State Constitution. Supporters of the campaign affirm that their aim is to enhance public health and embrace reality since 32 U.S. states have now legalized the plant in some form.

Marijuana Policy Project supports campaign for medical cannabis in Nebraska

Backing for medical cannabis in Nebraska has been received from the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). The campaign will attempt to get a constitutional amendment that will effectively enable Nebraskans to benefit from the green plant’s therapeutic qualities.

Wishart claims that the group will draft the necessary language and launch fundraising for the 2020 ballot medical cannabis measure in Nebraska. In addition to this, Wishart says that the pro-pot group will carry out public opinion research.

“We arrived at this place because we haven’t seen any action by the Legislature,” Wishart admitted after the committee-forming paperwork was filed.

Medical cannabis in Nebraska repeatedly rejected by Legislature

So, what are the chances of Nebraska medical cannabis legalization appearing on the 2020 ballot?

Well, it’s tricky to say. The state’s Republican-influenced Legislature has turned down attempts to legalize weed for medical purposes on more than one occasion.

Some lawmakers are concerned that medical cannabis legalization could promote recreational use, with many even trying to portray the plant as a “gateway drug,” despite the fact that various clinical trials and studies have proved this theory wrong.

Furthermore, Nebraska’s attorney general has been heavily involved in attempts to reverse Colorado’s medical cannabis law.

Back in 2015, LB643, the “Cannabis Compassion and Care Act,” was initiated in the unicameral state legislature.

If passed, it would have allowed patients who are suffering from cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, and hepatitis C to receive medical cannabis as a treatment. Unfortunately, the bill fell short of three votes after receiving “stiff opposition” from Governor Pete Ricketts and Attorney General Doug Peterson.

Millions of hemp plants destroyed in Nebraska annually

Cannabis in Nebraska is commonly destroyed, despite containing low levels of the psychoactive compound THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

Known as “Nebraska Nonsense,” the low-THC hemp plants that sprout out of the ground in Nebraska are believed to have been cultivated for industrial purposes for the first time in Fremont, back in 1887.

This is according to the USDA, which claims that Nebraska’s first crop of industrial hemp was cultivated by men from the Champaign area of Illinois.

Moreover, a 1987 study maintained that 12.4 million cannabis plants are demolished in Nebraska on an annual basis.

Hemp, unlike the Cannabis Sativa plant, contains low traces of THC and high levels of the medicinal non-psychoactive compound CBD (cannabidiol). The therapeutic cannabinoid can be extracted from the plant in oil form.