Nebraska Medical Marijuana Supporters Slam Restrictive Rules Proposed By Governor-Appointed Panel

*“I feel like Nebraska just wants to make it as uncomfortable and
unbearable as possible.”*

*By Zach Wendling, Nebraska Examiner*

Green shirts filled a hearing room in Lincoln full of Nebraskans who
support the legalization of medical cannabis but oppose the regulations of
the product proposed by the state’s new Medical Cannabis Commission.

Thirty-two people testified against the proposed regulations Wednesday.
None spoke in support. Testifiers argued the regulations would not be
feasible for most people needing medical cannabis, and roughly half called
out commissioners for not attending the hearing to listen to their concerns.

“I feel like Nebraska just wants to make it as uncomfortable and unbearable
as possible,” said testifier Nathan Brown.

In 2024’s general election, 71 percent of Nebraska voters voted to legalize
medical cannabis, and 67 percent voted to create the new regulatory
commission. Since December, Nebraskans have been able to legally possess up
to 5 ounces of medical cannabis, so long as they have a health care
practitioner’s recommendation.

However, medical cannabis can’t yet be legally purchased in the state. Just
last week, the Medical Cannabis Commission granted two of its four
cultivator licenses to Nancy Laughlin-Wagner of Omaha and to Patrick Thomas
of Raymond. Chief Legal Officer for Nebraska’s Department of Health and
Human Services Bo Botelho said both licenses had been accepted.

In September, the commission advanced a stricter set of regulations in
comparison to emergency regulations the group approved in June. Gov. Jim
Pillen (R) accepted the new regulations with one revision—to limit
cultivators from growing more than 1,250 flowering plants at one time.

The revised regulations would, for the first time, set extensive testing
and security requirements and establish a “Recommending Health Care
Practitioner Directory” for in-state physicians to recommend medical
cannabis. If approved, the rules would remain in effect for up to 90 days.

Under the regulations, patients or caregivers could purchase up to 5 ounces
of medical cannabis in a 30-day period, which is about 142 grams. But they
could purchase no more than 5 grams of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
from the same dispensary within a 90-day period. Delta-9 THC is the part of
cannabis most associated with a “high.”

Several testifiers said this limit was too restrictive. Testifer Shari
Lawlor said a single joint usually weighs about 1 gram, so expecting people
with medical needs to be limited to 5 grams of THC over 90 days is
impractical.

State Sen. John Cavanaugh (D) of Omaha, who testified at the hearing, went
a step further and called the limit a bold violation from the ballot
language voters approved in November, which allowed possession of up to
five ounces.

Testifiers largely agreed that the proposed regulations go against what
voters asked for. Several argued it tells them the people tasked with
drafting the regulations lacked an understanding of medical cannabis.

Crista Eggers, campaign manager for the Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana
initiatives, brought a large stack of papers representing the roughly
240,000 signatures gathered between both petitions as a visual example of
the level of public support for medical cannabis.

“I will guarantee you that every single one of them wished they could be
here today,” she said. “You know what, they shouldn’t have to be. They did
their part. Voters spoke.”

Some testifiers criticized the limits on acceptable forms of medical
cannabis. The proposed regulations exclude smoking and vaping.

Edward Williams, a veteran and member of the Legal Marijuana Now Party,
said smoking or vaping is the most effective method of treating him when he
wakes up from nightmares due to his PTSD. The key factor is that smoking
and vaping is quicker to take effect than other forms of cannabis, such as
edibles.

“You can’t really wake up with nightmares or flashbacks and expect to have
to wait for an hour or two for an edible to work,” Williams said.

Williams wasn’t the only veteran to testify. Several others spoke about how
medical cannabis has benefitted them and said they have lost friends to
suicide who didn’t have access to the same treatment.

A majority of Wednesday’s testifiers offered emotional stories about how
medical cannabis can alleviate painful ailments for them or their
relatives. They described medical cannabis as a safer and cheaper option
than other pain relief treatments.

“Instead of needing to put my mother on morphine at the end of her life,
where she then went into a coma just to control her pain, we could have had
a meaningful and loving last few days had she been prescribed medical
cannabis,” said testifer Kathy Jensen.

Registered Nurse Tracey Davidson, who did not testify but attended the
hearing, said she was first exposed to the benefits of cannabis when her
brother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer about 12 years ago. Because he
lived in Colorado, he had access to medical cannabis, and she said he
credited that as part of the reason he could continue working and biking
until days before his death.

“I view cannabis as medicine,” Davidson said. “I’ve seen it work through my
career for a lot of different situations, from pain management, to sleep,
to PTSD.”

Many testifiers also criticized the three active medical cannabis
commissioners for not attending the hearing, calling it “shameful” and
“insulting.” The hearing was required under statute.

Some testifiers even accused members of being “bought off” by
anti-marijuana politicians. At a commission meeting several weeks ago,
testifier Georganna Schroeder-Stanley said she observed “indifference,
boredom and even contempt” on the faces of some commissioners listening to
public feedback.

Cavanaugh interviewed the appointees for the commission as part of his
duties as a state senator. He said his “fears have come true,” from those
interviews—that members are “pursuing a political agenda” that aligns with
Pillen’s.

Chair Monica Oldenburg did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Several other testifiers said that Nebraska is missing out on much-needed
revenue. Brown argued this is silly considering how easy it is for
Nebraskans to access cannabis by crossing state lines.

Brown said Nebraska would lose residents because of the government’s
resistance to accepting medical cannabis. Another testifier, Dawn Weir,
said she moved back to Nebraska this year because she’d heard that medical
cannabis had been legalized.

The aftermath of the 2024 ballot initiatives has made some testifiers
question whether they should continue voting if the state can interfere so
easily. Cavanaugh pleaded with attendees to continue voting, but urged them
to vote for people “who actually respect you.”

Proponents of medical cannabis have long argued the issue is nonpartisan,
and several testifiers identified themselves as registered Republicans who
either regret voting Republican in 2024, or are reconsidering their party
affiliation.

“I don’t know how long [my Republican registration] is going to last with
watching this state going so far to the other side,” said testifier John
Reagan.

With the hearing concluded, the commission will decide whether to formally
adopt the regulations or make changes. If finalized, the regulations would
be sent to Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers’s (R) office for legal
review. Pillen would have the final say. Hilgers’s office did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.

*This story was first published by Nebraska Examiner.*

*Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.*

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Proposed By Governor-Appointed Panel appeared first on Marijuana Moment.