Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission Chair Resigns Amid Unpopular Roll-out

Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission Chair Dr. Monica Oldenburg announced
her resignation on Monday after just about nine months on the job, the Nebraska
Examiner reports.

Dr. Oldenburg, an anesthesiologist, was appointed to the commission by Gov.
Jim Pillen (R) last April, and she was elected to lead the body in June.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of the State of
Nebraska on the Medical Cannabis Commission. Unfortunately, due to
commitments with my family and my job as a physician, I am unable to
adequately commit the time needed for this volunteer position.” —
Oldenburg, in her resignation letter, via the Examiner

Oldenburg was not present during the commission’s monthly meetings in
December or January, the report said.

Following Oldenburg’s resignation, the remaining four members voted to name
Commissioner Lorelle Mueting as interim chair.

Meanwhile, advocates have largely rejected the Medical Cannabis
Commission’s vision for Nebraska’s medical cannabis program. The agency’s
proposed rules were heavily criticized during public comments last year as
seeking to override the will of voters, but the commissioners declined to
walk back any of the regulations.

A bill proposed this year would also allow the commission to write
additional regulations around the state’s voter-approved medical cannabis
law, a proposal advocates call “extremely concerning.”