A month after two voter-approved medical marijuana initiatives took effect in Nebraska, State Senator Jared Storm has introduced a measure that would significantly restrict allowable forms of medical cannabis.
Marijuana capsules.
The bill, filed today, seeks to limit medical marijuana products to pills and liquid tinctures, excluding other forms such as edibles, concentrates, and smokable products.
This proposal comes in the wake of the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Patient Protection Act (Initiative 437) and the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Act (Initiative 438), which both became law last month. These initiatives established legal protections for patients and healthcare providers, allowed patients to possess up to five ounces of marijuana with a physician’s recommendation, and set the framework for a regulated medical marijuana market.
Senator Storm’s bill would amend the newly implemented medical marijuana system by narrowing the product options available to patients. LB 483 also includes a provision stating, “Since an emergency exists, this act takes effect when passed and approved according to law,” signaling an urgency to enact the restrictions quickly.
The initiatives passed by voters allow for a wide range of products, including edibles and concentrates, which the newly proposed legislation would eliminate. This has the potential to reshape the medical marijuana landscape in Nebraska even before the first dispensaries, expected to open in mid-to-late 2025, begin operations.
