A political party focused on legalizing marijuana has gained official state recognition in Nebraska, meaning it can now run candidates and claim registered voters.
Secretary of State Bob Evnen says the Legal Marijuana NOW Party has met the requirements to qualify as a political party.
The designation allows voters to register with the party, and party officials can nominate candidates for partisan offices.
About 6,800 signatures were needed to qualify and activists Mark Elworth Jr and Krystal Gabel, both frequent candidates for public office, say they collected more than 10,000 signatures over the last 4 years to gain party status.