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Krystal Gabel
Born (1984-10-14) October 14, 1984 (age 40)
Akron, Iowa
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBriar Cliff University
OccupationWriter
Known forCannabis rights activism
Political partyIndependent (2021—present)
Other political
affiliations		Legal Marijuana Now (2015—2024)
Republican (2018, 2020)

Krystal Gabel (born October 14, 1984) is an American cannabis rights activist, perennial candidate, and writer. Gabel, a candidate for governor of Nebraska in the 2018 election, at age 33 was the youngest of a record number of women who ran for governorships, nationally.[1][2] In 2020, Gabel ran for Nebraska Public Service Commission in the Republican primary.[3]

Gabel led a successful petition drive to acquire ballot access for a Nebraska Legal Marijuana NOW Party branch.[4][5] A resident of Brush, Colorado, Gabel was a candidate for mayor of Brush, in 2021, and for Brush City Council, in 2023.[6][7]

Early activism

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Krystal Gabel at a demonstration in Omaha on April 20, 2018
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In 2015–2016, Gabel petitioned for a Marijuana Party of Nebraska to be officially recognized by the state.[8] In order to make the ballot, they needed 5,397 signatures statewide. In July 2016, the party turned in 9,000 signatures to the Nebraska Secretary of State. However, the Secretary of State said that half of the signatures were invalid, falling short of the 5,397 needed.[9][10]

In 2016, Gabel and Mark Elworth changed the name of the Nebraska party to Legal Marijuana NOW, and in September 2016, began circulating petitions for 2020 ballot access.[11] They said the organization planned to collect double the number of signatures they submitted in 2016, to ensure their success.[12][13]

Independent candidate

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Gabel ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate for Omaha Public School Board, in 2016, and for mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2019.[14][15]

In 2016, Gabel placed third out of four candidates in the race for two seats on the Omaha Metropolitan Utilities District, 1.2 percent short of winning. And in 2017, placed third in the primary for Omaha City Council, 143 votes away from making it to the general election.[2][16]

Republican gubernatorial candidate

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In 2018, Gabel ran for governor of Nebraska as a Republican. She ran on a fiscally conservative platform that included the legalization of marijuana.[17] Gabel's campaign to unseat Governor Pete Ricketts drew attention from outside Nebraska because United States Republican Party candidates, in 2018, rarely supported drug law reform.[18][19] Gabel said she chose to run in the primary as a Republican because the signature requirement for running in the general election as an independent candidate was infeasible for people of working-class means, such as herself.[20]

A record number of women ran for high-profile offices in the US, in 2018, including six women under age 40 who vied for Democratic or Republican Party nominations for governor. Gabel, at age 33, was the youngest of these candidates. Had she been elected, Gabel would have become the youngest women elected to governor in American history, breaking the record, in 2011 by Nikki Haley, of 38 years old.[2] Running against an incumbent in the Nebraska Republican primary was a long shot, and Gabel lost on May 15, receiving 19 percent, 31,300 votes.[21]

2020s career

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Nebraska Republican Party

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Gabel ran for Nebraska Public Service Commission, in 2020, and was defeated in the Republican primary. She received 7,165 votes, 45 percent.[3]

Colorado MAGA Patriot Party

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Early in 2021, Gabel filed paperwork to establish a MAGA Patriot Party, headquartered in Brush, Colorado. Gabel said third parties elevate regular people by providing a mechanism that ordinary Americans need to either be a candidate, or to be a volunteer. And competition by third parties stimulates the democratic process.[22]

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On April 21, 2021, Legal Marijuana NOW gained official recognition as a state political party in Nebraska, earning the party ballot access for their candidates, and allowing Legal Marijuana NOW Party to register voters.[23][24] Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party had previously qualified to be an official major party in the state of Minnesota in the November 6, 2018, election, when their candidate for State Auditor received more than 5 percent.[25] Gabel, who had been national chairperson of the Legal Marijuana Now Party from 2021—2023,[5] was a 2024 Legal Marijuana Now Party nominee for US President, but withdrew before the primary. Despite having withdrawn, Gabel got the most votes on March 5.[26]

Colorado independent candidate

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Gabel ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Brush, Colorado in 2021, and for Ward 3 Brush City Council, in 2023.[6][7]

While campaigning in September, 2023, Gabel was involved in a confrontation with another resident. Brush Police Department Cadet Raymond Wells, who was called to the scene, defused the situation, and ultimately no criminal charges were filed in the incident. Gabel and the neighbor mutually agreed to avoid each other, going forward.[27]

Political views

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Civil rights

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Gabel supports legalized marijuana for medical and non-medical use. In 2017, while campaigning for governor, Gabel said, “I believe … current Governor Pete Ricketts is wrongly criminalizing cannabis and ruining the entire lives of many Nebraskans. … I want to be elected so that our state's politics and laws serve Nebraskans and protect their rights, not criminalize or prevent them from living a good life.”[28] Gabel supports prison reform, and would pardon people with past convictions for nonviolent cannabis offenses.[17][29] She supports laws protecting LGBTQ rights.[15]

Economy

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During 2017 and 2018 election campaigns, Gabel opposed raising taxes for working families and individuals.[2][30] She argued revenue from industrial hemp production and new industries created serving cannabis consumers would spur the economy.[31][32]

Education

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Gabel opposes school choice, saying it harms public education.[33] Gabel supports broad K–12 and higher education funding, calling it a wise investment. In 2018, she said, “If the state doesn't readjust its budget to fully fund our public schools, our school districts will fail, students and taxpayers will pay more for education, and our college towns will turn into ghost towns. I strongly believe Nebraska's tax dollars should go directly into front-end investments that give Nebraskans better opportunities.”[31][32] Gabel argued that reducing state funding for education would lead to increased local taxes.[31]

Environment

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A proponent of zero waste communities and green sustainable energy, Gabel would let farmers grow hemp to produce biodiesel fuel.[34] Her opponent in the 2018 election, Governor Ricketts, opposed allowing hemp farming in the state, and instead supported Nebraska's current, university-based hemp research.[35] Gabel favors rewriting zoning laws that discourage tiny homes, supports use of electric vehicles, proposes a system of heated streets using power plant waste water, believes free city bus services would stimulate job creation.[15][36]

Healthcare

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Gabel supports affordable healthcare, improved domestic violence services, health insurance reform.[16][28] In 2018, she said proposals to reduce public funding for Planned Parenthood would hurt working individuals and families, and poor people.[35]

In 2018, Gabel said Nebraska's ban on medical cannabis was leading to patients traveling out of state to purchase “natural” medicine.[32] Earlier, in 2017, Gabel had accused Ricketts of denying patients an option for their health care. Gabel said marijuana was not dangerous as opioids, and other drugs, prescribed by doctors.[31]

Public safety

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A vocal defender of American First and Second Amendment rights, Gabel said if elected she would revisit laws that fine, penalize, incarcerate, criminalize people who possess marijuana, and said she believes it is a priority to serve, protect and respect all people's rights.[16][32] Gabel said she would improve funding for drug addiction rehabilitation programs.[34] Gabel said she values trust created by recognizing common values shared by everyone, and the act of ending prohibition would help reestablish public trust.[31]

Social justice

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In the 2018 Nebraska governor race, Gabel said government is meant to be run by the people, not the elite. She said, “The office of governor was designed to seat a common Nebraskan.”[32] Gabel ran her campaign on a budget less than $5,000. Ricketts reported raising $600,000 to run his campaign, and $1.7 million cash fund.[20][35] Gabel's platform included building a Beginning Farmers program for individuals, families, small businesses, ranchers, farmers.[16]

Personal life

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Gabel, who graduated from Akron–Westfield Senior High School at age 17, and holds a degree in writing from Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa, operated a free community garden in South Omaha, Nebraska.[17][20]

Gabel grew up in Akron, Iowa, lived in Nebraska during the 2010s, and moved to Colorado in 2020.[28]

Political candidacy

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Gabel has run several times for various offices, including:

  • Omaha Public School Board, Subdistrict 1, and Metropolitan Utilities District, in 2016
  • Omaha City Council, District 2, in 2017
  • Governor of Nebraska in 2018
  • Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2019
  • Nebraska Public Service Commission, District 2, in 2020
  • Mayor of Brush, Colorado, in 2021
  • Brush City Council, Ward 3, in 2023

Further reading

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Marijuana Advocate Challenges Ricketts: Krystal Gabel will run as a Republican". National Journal. July 24, 2017. Writer Krystal Gabel will challenge Gov. Pete Rickets (R) in the 2018 Republican primary. (Nebraska.TV) Gabel "previously ran for a seat on ...
  2. ^ a b c d Ostermeier, Dr. Eric (February 13, 2018). "2018 Cycle Finds Many Young Women Gubernatorial Hopefuls: Six women under 40 are currently seeking major party gubernatorial nominations this year". University of Minnesota Libraries. The youngest is Republican Krystal Gabel of Nebraska. Gabel, 33, is slated to be the lone GOP challenger to incumbent Governor Pete Ricketts. ... she placed third out of four candidates in the general election for the Omaha Metropolitan Utilities District – 1.2 points shy of winning one of two seats. In 2017, at the age of 32, Gabel ran for Omaha's 2nd District City Council seat and placed third in the primary with 10.3 percent of the vote – 3.2 points shy of making it to the general election. Gabel will be 33 when she faces Ricketts in Nebraska's May primary and while some parts of her platform conform with traditional GOP principles (e.g. lowering taxes), a strong focus of her campaign is on cannabis
  3. ^ a b "Lincoln and Nebraska results for the 2020 general election: Public Service Commission". Columbus Telegram. December 16, 2020.
  4. ^ Walton, Don (April 22, 2021). "Legal Marijuana Now Party gains ballot recognition in Nebraska". Omaha World-Herald.
  5. ^ a b Barfield, Lukas (April 26, 2021). "Legal Marijuana Now Becomes Official Political Party in Nebraska". Ganjapreneur. "The voters of Nebraska have experienced many failed referendum petitions in the past and are currently witnessing a gridlocked Unicameral," said Krystal Gabel, Legal Marijuana NOW's National Party Chair. "The process of obtaining ballot access with the LMN petition breaks a decades-long political stalemate with the State of Nebraska on the issue of cannabis."
  6. ^ a b Olmstead, Maegan (August 11, 2021). "Two candidates announce their bids for mayor of Brush". Fort Morgan Times. Krystal Gabel, an Independent, was the first to announce her candidacy for mayor. Gabel, 36 years old, states her goal as mayor is "to follow the Constitution, serve the people residing in Brush and focus on what the community needs to grow." Her priorities are "to make the office work entirely for The People of Brush (and) build a viaduct on Clayton Street over the railroad for 24/7 passage to both sides of (the) city." She also plans to "invite new businesses, tourism and medical and recreational dispensaries to reduce tax burden and create careers with good pay within (the) community.
  7. ^ a b Reyez, Zant (September 10, 2023). "Krystal Gabel running for Brush City Council Ward 3 seat". Fort Morgan Times. "Preparing for the future means we have to have some type of economic change that brings in funds so that us living here, retiring here, don't have to foot the bill. Someone else who has the money can."
  8. ^ Roberts, Dave (April 21, 2016). "Medical marijuana supporters organizing to get legalization on the ballot". KETV. "We are finishing the signatures and just getting padding now," said Krystal Gabel, a candidate for the M.U.D. Board.
  9. ^ "Activists petition for Marijuana Party of Nebraska". Kearney Hub. July 13, 2015.
  10. ^ Associated Press (August 5, 2016). "Marijuana Party petition drive fails to result in ballot placement". Lincoln Journal Star.
  11. ^ Jordan, Spike (May 12, 2017). "Legalize Marijuana Now advocates petition to get pro-marijuana third-party on the ballot". Scottsbluff Star Herald.
  12. ^ Chitwood, Joe (July 12, 2017). "Pro-pot party petition drive reaches North Platte". North Platte Bulletin.
  13. ^ Ozaki, Andrew (September 29, 2017). "Medical marijuana advocates petition to form Nebraska political party". KETV.
  14. ^ Burbach, Christopher (April 1, 2017). "Ben Gray faces crowded field in bid for City Council District 2 re-election". Omaha World-Herald. If elected, Gabel said, she would advocate for legalization of cannabis in the city. She said the issue would attract more young people to vote and would be one source of something she said the city needs: "new tax revenue that doesn't affect working families or working individuals." Gabel ran for two elected offices in 2016: the Metropolitan Utilities District Board of Directors and the Omaha Public Schools Board. A longtime advocate for decriminalizing marijuana, Gabel is co-chair of Legal Marijuana Now Nebraska, an organization supporting medical marijuana legalization.
  15. ^ a b c "Independent Candidate For Mayor Outlines Positions". KFOR. March 8, 2019. "Our city spends hundreds of thousands of tax dollars each winter clearing snow from our streets, yet they are only half-plowed, the potholes are getting worse, and now officials are asking taxpayers for more money to throw at the problem." Instead of using chemicals and plows, she says, power plant waste water would be diverted through a network of pipes installed under streets to melt snow and ice as it falls. She would provide free public transit for all residents "Not charging for the city bus is how Lincoln becomes more accessible and fair to all residents regardless of income. ... She contends more residents taking advantage of the free service would stimulate job creation, saying Cities that have implemented free bus services have seen ridership increase from 20 to 60 percent. She would decriminalize marijuana, would vote NO on the quarter-cent sales tax hike, zone for tiny homes, and lower the property tax levy to compensate for rises in property valuations. ... She would also Add an LGBTQ non-discrimination ordinance, promote more recycling, and provide more City support for electric vehicles
  16. ^ a b c d "Marijuana activist running for governor". McCook Gazette. July 25, 2017. In November 2016, Gabel advanced to the General Election for Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD), a race that spans three counties in the Omaha Metro area. She received approximately 86,000 votes and missed election by 1 percent of the vote. Most recently in the April 2017 Omaha City Primary, Gabel ran against the incumbent and six other candidates for the District 2 City Council seat. She missed moving to the General Election by 143 votes.
  17. ^ a b c Walton, Don (December 27, 2017). "GOP governor candidate would decriminalize marijuana". Lincoln Journal Star. Krystal Gabel of Omaha has filed as a Republican candidate for governor and will campaign for full decriminalization of marijuana possession by adults, along with providing a pardon for people in Nebraska convicted of nonviolent cannabis crimes. Gabel said legalization of marijuana could "generate billions in property, sales and income taxes via industrial hemp production." Nebraska could become "the country's primary manufacturer of hemp bioethanol and biodiesel," she said. Gabel said she would also push for creation of "a robust, easy-to-access medical cannabis program" in Nebraska. If elected, she said, she would support lower taxes for families, small businesses, farmers and ranchers while investing in green, renewable energy sources and protecting the state's natural resources. Gabel, a freelance writer and editor, said she volunteers her time now petitioning for legal marijuana in Nebraska and building a free-food community garden in South Omaha.
  18. ^ Corcione, Danielle (December 8, 2017). "Cannabis Activist Krystal Gabel Runs for Nebraska Governor: A cannabis activist in Nebraska is running for governor as a Republican". Cannabis Now. "We have a high independent population, who just need to be persuaded to participate in a primary," Gabel said. "For me, to run Republican, it's about getting people out in the primary like Bernie did."
  19. ^ Fiallo, Mamela (January 5, 2018). "Candidata republicana a gobernadora de Nebraska propone despenalizar la marihuana por completo". PanAm Post. The Republican party has been historically recognized as the conservative party in the US. The current Republican candidate for governor of the state of Nebraska invites us to question what that means. The candidate promises to completely decriminalize marijuana, both its medical and recreational use, while seeking to reduce the penalties of those who have been deprived of their liberty for consuming the plant. The candidate, Krystal Gabel, offers to build a stronger Nebraska. She argues that Nebraska has the ability to be a leader in the US in the cultivation and production of hemp products
  20. ^ a b c Hayworth, Bret (March 4, 2018). "Northwest Iowa native Krystal Gabel running for Nebraska governor on shoestring budget". Sioux City Journal. "Republican voters deserve to have choice on their ballots, especially for the primary," she said. Running as an independent, she unsuccessfully sought an Omaha City Council seat in 2017. Gabel said she thought of running for governor as an independent, but said the state's political system makes it easier for Republican and Democratic candidates, as it would have taken more than 100,000 petition signatures to qualify for the ballot as a no-party candidate. Therefore, Gabel became a Republican, since she said that party dominates politics in Nebraska.
  21. ^ "Ricketts, Krist to meet in general". The North Platte Telegraph. May 16, 2018. Ricketts easily fended off medical marijuana activist Krystal Gabel in the Republican race.
  22. ^ Harvel, Jack (March 5, 2021). "New political party forming in Brush: Organizer says MAGA Patriot Party will seek to elevate regular people through politics, instead of party insiders". Burlington Record. The Colorado MAGA Patriot Party Chair, Krystal Gabel, has been involved in grassroots politics for years. She was the co-chair of Legal Marijuana Now, a third party out of Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska, and competed in the 2018 Nebraska Gubernatorial Republican Primary. "The MAGA Patriots Party really stemmed from our work there, and that the establishment, Democrats and Republicans alike, really don't represent the people. They're representing their party and the party's interests, which are special interests," ... Gabel said the new party will seek to elevate real people through politics, rather than party insiders. ... Gabel said criticisms of third parties taking votes from either of the two major parties is framed poorly, and that additional voices would inevitably benefit the democratic process.
  23. ^ "'Legal Marijuana NOW' now recognized as a party in Nebraska". Associated Press. April 21, 2021.
  24. ^ Garcia, Justin (May 3, 2021). "Legal Marijuana NOW party makes pitch to area voters". Star-Herald. LMN would have the same ballot access as Democrats and Republicans in Nebraska. That means they could run candidates without having to write in names on a ballot. ... Despite the namesake policy position of LMN, Gabel said the party's goals are raising voter turnout and running pro-marijuana candidates. But securing LMN as a permanent fixture on Nebraska ballots must come first. "We have party ballot access for four years. In that time frame, we have to get 10,000 registered voters to become a permanent fixture on the ballot for upcoming elections," ... Gabel said some of the party's strongest support comes from Nebraska's deep-red Third District. Gabel attributed the support to a general feeling of disenfranchisement in rural Nebraska.
  25. ^ Octavio, Miguel; Tarala, Kassidy (January 15, 2019). "Midterms boost influence of pro-cannabis political parties". University of Minnesota. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  26. ^ Estabrook, Rachel; Warner, Ryan (January 29, 2024). "'Don't vote for me,' says Colorado woman on Minnesota's presidential primary ballot". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  27. ^ Reyez, Zant (October 18, 2023). "Brush City Council candidate threatened by resident while canvassing in neighborhood in September: BPD says case is closed; no criminal act committed". Fort Morgan Times. Gabel said, "He felt threatened in his home when I was on his porch and so [Brush Police Department] chose to protect him."
  28. ^ a b c Fickett, Kim (October 11, 2017). "Akron native vies for governor seat". Le Mars Sentinel. Gabel is a 2005 graduate from Briar Cliff University and holds a bachelor of arts degree in writing. Her mom is Sue Baack-Gabel from Le Mars, and dad is Rick Gabel of Akron. Gabel currently resides in Omaha and is a professional writer who is employed as a technical writer at ACI Worldwide, Inc. in Elkhorn.
  29. ^ Loizzo, Mike (December 29, 2017). "Gabel for Governor campaign files to challenge Gov. Ricketts in GOP Primary". Nebraska Radio Network. Krystal Gabel says she is running a grassroots campaign based on government transparency, prison reform, and job creation. "Nebraskans really want an executive leader who serves, protects, and who respects their rights and freedoms as granted to them by the Constitution. ... Nebraskans also want prison reform. They want to see their money being spent, instead, on education and rehabilitation programs."
  30. ^ "Omaha writer, marijuana advocate announces bid for governor as Republican". Lincoln Journal Star. July 22, 2017. Gabel's platform includes addressing the state's tax dilemma by "making Nebraska the primary producer and manufacturer of hemp biofuel and biodiesel." She would support a medical marijuana program for use by adult patients, child patients with permission from a guardian and veterans with a medical card. As governor, she would reinvest in the state's public K-12 educational system.
  31. ^ a b c d e Swanson, Dan (September 9, 2017). "Governor Candidate Rallies Support For Industrial Hemp". KFMT-FM. When I talk about hemp, I'm not just talking about hemp in our farm fields. I'm talking about us, as a workforce in this state, being able to produce products grown here, made here, sold here, so the money stays here." Gabel said Nebraska voters are increasingly seeking political candidates that share their values and are seeking solutions to issues Nebraskans have in common. Gabel: "It comes to issues. When you have issues that Nebraskans look up every day or are interested in, they are going to trust you. It's not about money anymore. They are starting to learn that money in politics actually is greed in politics.
  32. ^ a b c d e Harris, Kathryn (April 18, 2018). "Ricketts facing challenger in Republican primary". Norfolk Daily News. Gabel said she would like to expand the state's ecomomy by legalizing medical cannabis and industrial hemp farming, which is another of Gabel's top priorities in the election. "Thousands of Nebraska patients are driving every month to purchase their natural medicine from Colorado," she said. "Nebraska farmers are losing money on each acre of biotechnology corn and soybeans they harvested this past fall." In addition to education and legalizing cannabis, Gabel said she believes it is a priority to serve, protect and respect the rights and freedoms of all Nebraskans.
  33. ^ Hess, Frederick; Gallo, Sofia (March 13, 2018). "GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Need to School Themselves on Education Policy". National Review. The only issue to muster support from even half of GOP candidates is school choice. Forty of the 75 candidates who addressed education on their websites mentioned choice, with 38 of those supportive and two – Steve Barlock of Colorado and Krystal Gabel of Nebraska – explicitly opposed on the grounds that they believe it hurts public education.
  34. ^ a b Norquist, Carl (December 27, 2017). "Krystal Gabel enters Nebraska Governor race". KTIV. Her platform consists of decriminalizing cannabis for adults and revisiting laws which penalize those who possess cannabis. She also would like to invest in green renewable energy sources, fund education, reform prisons, and introduce rehabilitation programs.
  35. ^ a b c Knapp, Fred (May 2, 2018). "Krystal Gabel challenging Gov. Pete Ricketts For Republican Nomination". NET Nebraska. "This is the way to get medical in the state – industrial hemp. Pete Ricketts needs to go if we want that. He means 'no' to that," she said. Ricketts' campaign declined to make him available for this story. But in an email, the campaign confirmed Ricketts supports the current, university-based industrial hemp research. The governor has consistently opposed legislative efforts to legalize medical marijuana at the state level.
  36. ^ Hicks, Nancy (October 26, 2018). "Marijuana activist Krystal Gabel to run for Lincoln mayor". Lincoln Journal Star. Krystal Gabel, a marijuana legalization activist, has announced she is a candidate for Lincoln mayor. In a news release, Gabel outlined a lengthy platform that includes legalizing cannabis possession in the city limits, working to become a zero-waste community, rezoning to allow tiny homes and providing free bus service citywide. Gabel, 34, is registered as a nonpartisan. She said young adults need to step up and come up with new solutions to politics, and that political parties aren't working.
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