LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – The state’s new medical marijuana regulatory board met Thursday morning for the second time with a firm understanding that they’re on deadline.

They voted 4-0 to adopt emergency regulations, which are temporary. Kim Lowe, who also serves on the state liquor board, was absent.

The medical marijuana regulation law, signed by Gov. Jim Pillen in December, requires the state to have licensing regulations in place by July 1 — Tuesday — so it can start granting applications for medical cannabis business by Oct. 1.

The Unicameral had attempted to establish medical marijuana regulations for Nebraska during the legislative session, but the bill was voted down in May. So the commission voted Thursday to establish emergency regulations for the state, and had a letter drafted asking the governor to adopt them.

“Without these regulations establishments will not be able to submit applications nor will the commission be able to review said applications to determine eligibility to displense, manufacture, cultivate or transport under the [Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation] Act,” the letter to Gov. Jim Pillen states. “Failure to do so would force Nebraskans to seek medical cannabis or simliar products from unregulated and potentially harmful sources.”

During its meeting, the board discussed a memorandum of understanding between the board, the state Department of Heath and Human Services, and the governor’s policy research office. The commission also went into a planned executive session for some time in order to obtain legal counsel on that agreement.

Pillen’s picks for the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission were approved at the end of May. That left the panel — also comprised of the state Liquor Control Commission, which also had a vacancy that needed filling after one of its members was abruptly suspended — with a quick turnaround to meet the first deadline.

Thursday was the commission’s second meeting. The board’s first meeting on June 9 focused on getting situated administratively, with members choosing a chairperson, outlining a framework for member roles and meeting procedures, and promising to hit the ground running on establishing the rules at its next meeting.

REGULATIONS HIGHLIGHTS

First Alert 6 obtained physical copies of the commission’s proposed regulations for cultivating, manufacturing, dispensing, or transporting medical cannabis. Among them:

• 12 licenses available: Only one dispensary license will be issued per District Court Judicial District. Nebraska has 12. Douglas and Lancaster counties would each get one; Sarpy and Cass counties are in the same district, so there would only be one license granted between them.
• Location restrictions: Dispensaries and cultivators cannot be located without 1,000 feet of a school, daycare, church, or hospital. For comparison, state law restricts sex offenders to 500 feet from schools and daycare facilities.
• Residency requirement: In addition to a U.S. citizenship requirement, more than half the business applying for any sort of medical cannabis license must be owned by someone who has been a reisdent of Nebraska for at least four years.
• No vertical licensing: Applicants can’t have more than one license type, be that cultivating, manufacturing, dispensing, or transporting. On the surface, that could indicate that those who grow marijuana wouldn’t be able to transport it or sell it, or the other way around — that each portion of the supply chain would have be separately operated and regulated.
• Hearings: “The commission may hold a hearing on any application for a license at its own discretion.”
• License duration: Licenses expire after two years from the date of issuance.

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This is a developing story. Stay with First Alert 6 for updates.

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Digital Director Gina Dvorak and Reporter John Chapman contributed to this report.

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