Medical cannabis group files lawsuit against Lancaster County Sheriff

LINCOLN, Neb. – The battle to legalize medical cannabis has taken a different turn, and the issue is leading to yet another possible trial.

A medical marijuana advocacy group filed a lawsuit against Lancaster County’s Sheriff Terry Wagner on Monday. In a press release, Nebraska Families for Medical Cannabis announced that the lawsuit came after the Nebraska Supreme Court canceled the medical marijuana initiative in the 2020 ballot.

The group, led by Lincoln attorney John Cartier, has filed an official complaint against Wagner with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission alleging that he initiated the lawsuit against the measure that led to the court’s decision.

The complaint alleges that Wagner committed a crime by failing to disclose who paid his legal fees in the 2020 calendar year.

Nebraska law requires elected officials to disclose all gifts they receive in a calendar year that are worth more than $ 100.

Wagner has said publicly that he “doesn’t know” who paid for the lawsuit.

“Any time an elected official accepts a gift worth more than $ 100, they must report it in a financial interest statement,” Cartier said.

“If Mr. Wagner knowingly made a false testimony, he is guilty of a Class IV crime. In this case, the payment of Mr. Wagner’s legal fees is a gift that must be disclosed under Nebraska Electoral Law.”

Wagner became the challenger to the election initiative, signed by 196,000 Nebraskans, after Lincoln attorney Mark Fahleson pointed out that the move appeared to violate the state’s one-subject rule.