A bill to establish the regulatory framework for the sale of medical cannabis died Tuesday to a filibuster in the Nebraska Legislature.
In November, 71% of voters elected to legalize marijuana with a physician’s recommendation and 67% approved a measure to regulate the drug through a new ‘Medical Cannabis Commission.’
Despite this support, Legislative Bill 677 was unable to scrounge up the votes needed to overcome the filibuster lead by Senator Jared Storm of David City. As the 8-hour debate closed in the evening, the vote to push the bill forward to a second round of debate came down 23-22. To stay alive, the proposal need 33 votes.
The debacle illustrated a strange political nature of Nebraska’s unique, technically nonpartisan, 49-member Unicameral legislature. The body’s 14 Democrats and lone Progressive-Independent supported the measure and gained the support of eight Republicans, including its sponsor Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair. Three republicans — Senators John Arch, Carolyn Bosn, and Merv Riepe — were marked “present not voting” and Democrat Ashlei Spivey was “excused not voting.”
The other 22 Republicans appeared to be swayed by Storm’s filibuster, in which he cited ongoing legal challenges from Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, the bill’s origins, and growing concerns over potential recreational legalization as reasons to kill the bill.
Hansen and other proponents expressed disappointment and fear of the future of the voter approved measure, as the responsibility for regulation now shifts to the commission — a body that has faced criticism due to recent appointees’ past opposition to medical cannabis.
Hansen said during debate, killing the measure would likely fuel support for “full blown” recreational cannabis through another ballot initiative in 2026.
Read more on this story at nebraskaexaminer.com.