Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what's happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week, we have two big stories: Arkansas and Nebraska. Not just the initiatives that may or may not appear on the November ballot but lawsuits, injunctions, accusations! We'll try to unravel the twists and turns. And finally, if you're looking for a baby name that will stand out in a crowd, we have one you may want to consider.
ARKANSAS
We'll go alphabetically and start with Arkansas. Regular readers will doubtless recall that the ballot initiative in question involves an expansion of the state's medical marijuana program. As we reported last week, the Secretary of State, John Thurston, had determined that the initiative's backers were a couple thousand signatures short of the number needed to gain a place on the ballot. Undaunted, Arkansans for Patient Access filed a lawsuit contesting this ruling. The Arkansas Supreme Court agreed that Thurston had incorrectly disqualified some of the submitted signatures, and issued an injunction requiring him to continue counting. But that's not the end of the story! There's also an issue with the ballot title, which the court has indicated it will resolve in the next couple of weeks. The Arkansas Supreme Court has posted the docket and underlying documents here – free to access, if you'd like to read more.
NEBRASKA
And now, we're on to Nebraska. In another follow-up to last week's post, the latest developments include the filing of 24 charges of official misconduct against a York County notary public. The charges are part of an ongoing investigation into fraudulent signatures submitted as part of a move to get two medical marijuana initiatives on the November ballot. Supporters of the initiatives insist that the claims of invalid signatures do not rise to the level of intentional wrongdoing. Now, it's up to the Lancaster County District Court to decide whether the initiatives will appear on the ballot or not. Early voting has already begun, so time is of the essence...
AND FINALLY
As one of four Susans in my 10th grade English class, I understand the desire for a name that stands out. The problem is that a name starts out as one of a kind and then becomes a fad. What's a parent to do? Meet Dr. Marijuana Pepsi Vandyke, who neither smokes weed nor drinks soda. Dr. Vandyke has a PhD and works at a community college. She's been approached by cannabis companies, but is not interested in becoming a spokesperson.
Be well everyone; we'll be off next week, but will be back on October 25.
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