Lincoln, NE — A bill aimed at regulating medical marijuana in Nebraska failed to advance out of the General Affairs Committee on Thursday, with a 5-3 vote against it. Senator Ben Hansen introduced LB677 after 71% of voters supported medical marijuana access in a November ballot initiative. Initiative 437, which is self-enacting, set a legal limit of five ounces as of December, but lawmakers have expressed concerns over unclear regulations.
The bill sought to establish funding for the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission to oversee operations. Without the bill, the commission lacks power and funding, lawmakers said.
“I think we have moved very far, farther than I think a lot of us are comfortable with but just comfortable enough to know what the voter voted for and what we could live with, so I think we’re almost there. The committee just tried. They tried their version and it didn’t work,” said Hansen.
Committee Chair Rick Holdcroft drafted AM1006, an amendment to the bill that would have prohibited the use of flower and leaf forms of medical marijuana and its use for PTSD among the 15 ailments listed in the amendment. The amendment was not motioned for a vote. Vice Chair John Cavanaugh said he could not support it, stating, “The plant is explicitly included in the ballot language.”
Senator Hansen plans to attempt to gather 25 votes on Tuesday to bring the failed bill back to the floor for debate. Crista Eggers from the Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana Association expressed her determination to continue fighting for the cause.
“Cannabis passed on the ballot for medical use. It is legal. We just want to provide patients safe access to it. We want to provide a framework to give the governing body who will be overseeing this a good start, a solid foundation,” Eggers said.
Some committee members, like Senator Jared Storm, suggested waiting for the conclusion of Attorney General Mike Hilgers’ lawsuit on Delta-8 before adding more legislation. However, not all members agreed, and neither does Eggers.
“What I believe as an advocate, what I believe as a mom is that they do something,” Eggers said.
With 25 days left in the session, Senator Hansen warned that time is running out before it becomes the “Wild West.” An NTV viewer poll showed unanimous opposition to additional government oversight, with one viewer noting that while they did not support the measure, the initiative still passed.
