Nebraska Limits Medical Cannabis Cultivation to 1,250 Plants Per Grower

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has mandated a limit on the number of medical cannabis plants that cultivators can grow, leading the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission to set a cap of 1,250 flowering plants per cultivator. This move was in response to Pillen's concerns about preventing an unregulated black market due to an overabundance of cannabis product. The commission's regulations allow for a maximum of four cultivators, which would total 10,000 plants annually with two harvests per year. However, medical cannabis advocates, including Crista Eggers of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, argue that the limit is too restrictive and insufficient to meet patient demand, estimating that the cap would only supply about 2,500 patients, whereas demand is expected to be higher. The current rules also ban cannabis edibles, smoking, and vaping, permitting only oral tablets, capsules, tinctures, and topicals, which critics say contradicts the voter-approved initiative. The commission plans to meet again on September 30 to discuss the regulations further before the permanent rules are due October 1.