The Nebraska Senate is scheduled to debate LB 677 with Amendment 1251 tomorrow. The bill includes a regulatory framework for legal medical cannabis sales as well as new restrictions.
Last November, voters overwhelmingly supported two ballot measures to legalize and regulate medical cannabis in the state. The measure passed with some 71% support.
Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, a group that has led the push for medical cannabis in the state, is calling for passage of the bill with the amendment and asking supporters to call and email their state senators.
A blog post published today by the Marijuana Policy Project says the bill should be passed without Amendment 1251, but Nebraskans shouldn't get their hopes up.
"Without LB 677, patients have no access to medical cannabis. The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission has “a complete lack of resources” and no ability to carry out its duties to license medical cannabis businesses. Attorney General Mike Hilgers and others are still trying to overturn the medical cannabis initiatives in court.
They believe their outrageous lawsuit to re-criminalize patients is best positioned if the Legislature doesn’t act. AG Hilgers is trying to kill LB 677 dishonestly, claiming that "in my view, would supercharge the black market as a recreational marijuana bill that has a whole host of negative impacts on the state of Nebraska."
MPP believes the Legislature should implement the will of voters without imposing the restrictions contained in AM 1251 — such as prohibiting smoking and limiting qualifying conditions to a specific list. Sadly, there is no realistic prospect of that happening. Thirty-three votes out of 49 are needed on any bill, and the votes are not there to pass a better implementation bill."
