Critics of the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission testified at a public hearing on Wednesday, arguing that the regulators’ proposed medical cannabis regulations contradict the will of voters, according to the Nebraska Examiner.
All three members of the Commission did not attend the meeting, a fact that was noticed — and frequently maligned — at the hearing, where many attendees wore green shirts to signal their support for medical cannabis. None of the speakers spoke in support of the regulations.
Nebraska voters overwhelmingly passed the state’s 2024 ballot initiatives to legalize and regulate medical cannabis access. However, state lawmakers fumbled the legislation to implement the initiatives — medical cannabis became legal last December, but there remains no legal way for patients to access the medicine.
Testifiers like Nathan Brown said the commissioners’ rules fall short of the access levels described in the voter-approved initiatives.
“I feel like Nebraska just wants to make it as uncomfortable and unbearable as possible.” — Brown, via the Examiner
Republican Gov. Jim Pillen signed the commission’s latest regulations in September. The rules include purchasing limits and restrictions on cannabis product types — including products that can be smoked or vaped — that were not included in the ballot initiatives.
Earlier this month, state Sen. John Cavanaugh (D) submitted a formal complaint that the commission’s regulations “ovecrride the clearly expressed will” of the public.
