Nebraska Medical Marijuana Update: Rules, Licenses and What Comes Next

4 February 2026

Nebraska’s medical cannabis program is entering a pivotal phase, as regulators work to translate last year’s voter approval into a functioning system for patients and businesses, while navigating leadership changes, political expectations and debate over how restrictive the rules should be.

At the center of the latest shift is the resignation of the Medical Cannabis Commission’s chair, Dr. Monica Oldenburg, an anesthesiologist from Lincoln who stepped down as the body prepares for a busy stretch of rulemaking and licensing. Her departure leaves the five-member commission one seat short and gives Gov. Jim Pillen a new appointment that could influence the direction of the program.

A Leadership Change At a Sensitive Moment

Oldenburg, appointed by the governor last spring and confirmed by lawmakers in May, had described herself to legislators as “pro-research” and open to cannabis as a tool for pain management in some cases. She was later chosen by her fellow commissioners to serve as chair.

In her resignation letter, she cited the difficulty of balancing the unpaid, volunteer role with her medical career and family obligations. Her recent absences from commission meetings had already raised questions among observers about the panel’s stability as it faces complex regulatory decisions.

The remaining commissioners unanimously selected Lorelle Mueting of Gretna, the other at-large appointee, as interim chair. Mueting has said she intends to regulate the program in a way that respects the will of voters who approved medical cannabis, while still building a tightly controlled system.

The commission now consists of Mueting and three members who also serve on the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission. All members serve six-year terms, and any new appointee must be confirmed by the Legislature. The governor’s office is accepting applications for the vacant seat through early March.

Rules First, Market Rollout Later

The commission’s work so far has focused less on opening storefronts and more on defining the guardrails of the system. Proposed rules have touched on:

• Limits on the number of marijuana plants that can be cultivated

• Restrictions on the types of products that could be sold

• Requirements for which health care practitioners can recommend cannabis

• Potential limits on products that can be smoked or vaped

Some patients and advocates argue that certain proposals go beyond what voters approved, particularly around smoking and vaping. They contend the ballot measures allow those forms and that the commission may not have authority to narrow patient options so sharply.

Commissioners, meanwhile, have emphasized the need to keep the program “strictly medical” and avoid any drift toward recreational use, reflecting the governor’s stated priorities.

This tension, between access and control, is emerging as a defining feature of Nebraska’s rollout.

Licensing Bottlenecks

Practical access for patients depends heavily on licensing. Without enough licensed cultivators, manufacturers and dispensaries, a medical cannabis program can exist on paper but not in reality.

So far, Nebraska has approved two cultivator licenses and still needs to issue two more. At a recent meeting, commissioners discussed pending cultivator applications and voted to offer a license to one company after another applicant was denied but given time to challenge the decision.

Because of these pending decisions, the commission has postponed detailed discussions about licenses for manufacturers, transporters and dispensaries. Lawmakers are also considering related legislation, adding another layer of uncertainty to the timeline.

Key upcoming dates include a late-February public hearing on proposed regulations and a mid-March commission meeting where further licensing and rulemaking issues could surface.

What It Means For Patients

For patients who support medical cannabis, often motivated by chronic pain, epilepsy, cancer-related symptoms or other serious conditions, the pace of implementation is a major concern.

Delays in licensing and uncertainty over which products will be allowed could postpone when patients can legally obtain cannabis in Nebraska. Strict limits on product types or on which practitioners can recommend cannabis could also narrow who ultimately qualifies.

On the other hand, a tightly regulated system could reassure more cautious patients and health care providers who want clear medical oversight and standardized rules.

What It Means For Businesses

For prospective cultivators, processors and dispensary operators, Nebraska represents a potentially new but still hazy market. The rules now being drafted will shape:

• Startup and compliance costs

• The range of products that can be developed

• How large the supply chain can grow

• How competitive the market will be

A highly restrictive framework could limit market size but also reduce competition for those who do secure licenses. A more permissive system could create broader opportunity but also greater regulatory complexity.

Ancillary businesses - from security to legal services to equipment suppliers - are also watching closely, since their opportunities rise or fall with the scale of the industry.

A Program Still in Formation

Nebraska’s medical cannabis system remains, in many ways, a work in progress. Voters have spoken in favor of legalization for medical purposes, but the details of how that decision translates into real-world access are still being negotiated in hearing rooms and commission meetings.

The governor’s upcoming appointment, legislative input and the commission’s next regulatory moves will all help determine whether Nebraska’s program evolves into a narrow, slow-moving system or a more accessible one.

For now, patients, entrepreneurs and researchers alike are left to track meeting dates and draft rules—waiting to see when the promise of medical cannabis in Nebraska becomes a practical reality.