Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts does not support the efforts by lawmakers in his state to legalize medical marijuana. While the state senate judiciary committee met to discuss the measure, Ricketts held a press conference to voice his opposition to the bill.
Ricketts didn't hold back and claimed the legalizing marijuana will lead to deaths among young people.
"This is a dangerous drug that will impact our kids. If you legalize marijuana, you're gonna kill your kids. That's what the data shows around the country," Ricketts said. "Don't legalize marijuana in the state of Nebraska."
The bill currently being debated would only legalize medical marijuana in pill or oil form. It also states that the drug could only be prescribed by a doctor to treat specific medical conditions. Smoking marijuana would still be illegal.
Ricketts said that it should be up to the federal government to decide if marijuana is safe to use, even for medical purposes. Currently, marijuana is illegal, and the federal government considered it a Schedule I drug which has "no currently accepted medical use."
"Big pot, big marijuana is a big industry," Ricketts said. "This a big industry that is trying not to be regulated, to go around the regulatory process. And that's going to put people at risk: when you go around regulations that are designed for the health and safety of our society."
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