One year after legalization, Nebraska still has no medical cannabis

The Nebraska's medical cannabis program suffers another setback. Although the widely approved by voters, Medical Cannabis Commission missed the October 1, 2025 deadline for issuing the first licenses.

Two commissioners, Bruce Bailey and Kim Lowe, resigned at the governor's request Jim Pillen, a few days before the decisive meeting. The process has therefore been postponed by at least a week, while the remaining members examine the candidacies before meeting again on October 7.

«We're doing our best to ensure that licences are issued quickly,» said the Commissioner. Lorelle Mueting.

Political pressure and legal threats

These tensions add to an already stormy political climate. The departure of Bailey and Lowe come on the heels of accusations of corruption against a former director of the Liquor Control Board, without the two commissioners being implicated. Opposed to recreational use, Gov. Jim Pillen promises strict supervision and must appoint their replacements.

At the same time, the Attorney General Mike Hilgers threatens to sue the commission as soon as the first licenses were awarded, believing that state authorization conflicted with federal law. This position, already expressed on several occasionss, fuels fears of a lengthy legal battle, while patients are still waiting for access to the program.

What the regulations say

If finalized, Nebraska's regulations would create one of the world's largest the strictest regulatory frameworks the country's medical cannabis policy. They would authorize :

• Up to four farmers (each limited to 1,250 flowering plants)
• Four manufacturers
• Twelve dispensaries distributed among the judicial districts
• Twelve carriers to transport products

Patients would be limited to 5 ounces of medical cannabis (140 grams) per 30-day period, up to a maximum of 5 grams of delta-9 THC every 90 days from the same dispensary. Smoking, vaping, edibles and raw flowers would be prohibited. Dispensaries would only be able to sell oral tablets with a minimum of flavoring.

Advocates say these restrictions run counter to the voter-approved law. At the October 1 meeting, citizens urged the commission to include inhalation consumption options (burning or vaping), claiming that the commission was «rewriting» the law rather than implementing it.

«This exceeds your authority, goes against the will of the voters and is illegal,» said the activist Angelica Marsaglia.

Patient urgency versus political delay

For patients, this delay has real consequences. Troy Burgess, a culture candidate, explained that even once the license was granted, it would take five months for the products to reach manufacturers, and another four to six weeks before dispensaries were stocked.

«These patients need relief,» said Burgess. «We can get started today.»

The program should initially to support around 20,000 patients. But until the licenses are granted, Nebraskans with a medical recommendation still can't legally buy cannabis.

The Commission on medical cannabis will meet again on October 7 to decide whether or not to issue the first cultivation licenses. A public hearing on the regulations is scheduled for October 15 in Lincoln, where residents will again have the opportunity to have their say.

Until then, Nebraska remains 39th state to have passed a medical cannabis law, but without a functioning market.