Those are the first three words of the Preamble to the Constitution. The very foundation of our government is based on the will of the citizens.

It doesn’t say “They the Oligarchs.” Senator Ricketts needs to remember that.

We the people overwhelmingly voted to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska. Nebraska is one of the only states to not have some form of legal medical marijuana on the books.

But the good senator and his money think that he is smarter than the doctors who have shown cannabis can be beneficial to people with Epilepsy, severe chronic pain, Multiple Sclerosis, and other ailments. It appears he thinks his money makes him smarter than “We the people.”

Ricketts’ constant attempts to keep medical marijuana away from families that are suffering would almost be comical if it wasn’t so mean.

Now don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against people with money, and Senator Ricketts is entitled to his opinion, but to keep using that money to get his way is not what this country is supposed to be about.

Nebraska’s oligarch has funded political campaigns to get his senators elected to the Unicameral. He has used his money to reinstate the death penalty, to stop abortions, and block sick people from getting medical cannabis.

His money convinced “We the people” to go along with two out of three of those campaigns, but he failed on medical marijuana.

That hasn’t stopped him from trying.

He has spearheaded a campaign of lawsuits that has put a financial and emotional strain on the organizers of the petition drive. He has caused undue suffering to the families dealing with epilepsy, chronic pain, MS, chemo, and other ailments that medical marijuana has been proven to help.

To get the issue on the ballot in the first place was truly an effort of the people. No big donors were paying for petitioners. Any money they received was from smaller contributions. Most of those gathering signatures were unpaid volunteers. There was no big television ad campaign to get people to vote for it. It truly was a grassroots effort.

The people of Nebraska decided that they wanted to be like almost every other state and pass legislation to stop good people from being forced to be criminals by going to other states or guys on the street to get their medicine.

Senator Ricketts joined other Republicans and campaigned to get Nebraska to go to Winner-Take-All when it comes to our electoral votes. The argument is that almost every other state has it, so we need to go along with the other states.

Funny how that same argument doesn’t hold water with them when it comes to legalizing medical marijuana.

I support legalizing medical cannabis and not because almost every other state has it. I would be supporting it if we were the only one. I support it because it can help people in need. It can be taxed and regulated. It’s safer with fewer side effects than many prescribed drugs.

On Monday, the General Affairs Committee of the Unicameral heard testimony from proponents and opponents of legalization. The Attorney General’s office asked the committee to hold off on passing legislation to regulate medical marijuana until all the court cases have been heard-- cases the state has lost in lower courts and are now tied up in appeal.

Not every senator was buying Ricketts and Hilgers’ arguments.

Bellevue senator Rick Holdcroft said it sounded like “The Attorney General wants us to keep this law stupid so he can find loopholes in it and make it illegal. And the Legislature just isn’t that kind of body.”

It’s time for the Attorney General to stop wasting taxpayers’ money and drop the court cases against the organizers of the petition drive.

It’s time for the Unicameral to pass regulations that are fair and responsible. It’s time to allow doctors to prescribe cannabis to patients who need it.

It’s time for Senator Ricketts to put his money back in his wallet and admit that he lost this argument. “We the people” have spoken, and we have said loud and clear that Nebraska needs to legalize marijuana for medical purposes.

Money can’t buy you everything.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.