Gov. Pete Ricketts, Attorney General Doug Peterson and former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne have been among those lining up against legalization. They question the effectiveness of marijuana and its derivatives as medicine and say it’s a step toward legalization of pot for recreational use.

Lincoln Sen. Adam Morfeld, another co-sponsor of LB 110, said the proposed constitutional amendment would “protect patients and establish the foundation upon which a medical marijuana program will be built.”

If voters approved a constitutional amendment, access to medical marijuana would become a constitutional right, Morfeld said. The Legislature would then need to enact detailed regulations into law.

Some have argued that it would be better if the Legislature passed a bill, because then lawmakers would have more control over how a medical marijuana system would be set up. But backers of the issue feel that approval is assured if they take it to the voters.