Nebraska
‘Slap in the face’: Medical cannabis access uncertain in Nebraska
More than a year after voters overwhelmingly approved medical cannabis in Nebraska, the state is nowhere near having a functioning program.Some state lawmakers and cannabis advocates say the latest blow landed Tuesday night, when a bill offering protections to healthcare practitioners who recommend medical cannabis faltered on the legislative floor.”If there are no practitioners, there are no patients in this program,” Crista Eggers with Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana said. “What seems to be the goal of this is to make sure Nebraska never has a functioning program.”The stories of families fighting for a medical cannabis program stack up every day.”His seizures happen all the time. He’s probably he’s having probably hundreds a day,” Dominic Gillen said. “We thought we were the only family. And we’ve come to find out that there are thousands of Nebraskans that are in need of this.”Gillen’s son Will has Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy. So does Matthew Bronson’s son Teddy. Bronson is a disabled veteran and carries chronic pain with him every day.”I want to take something or use something that will help with the pain, but not impair me to the point where I cannot give aid to my child,” Bronson said.Both families celebrated when Nebraskans overwhelmingly greenlit a medical cannabis program.”That means 71% of the state says, ‘Let’s do this. Let’s try it,’” Bronson said.But they say lawmakers and other state officials hung the program out to dry since 2024.”The legislature has not fulfilled the real intent of the voters,” Gillen said.Sen. John Cavanaugh championed LB933, aiming to protect healthcare practitioners who recommend cannabis, a Schedule 1 substance.”Not a single doctor in Nebraska has made a recommendation because they are afraid that the retribution by the attorney general or other law enforcement against their license,” Cavanaugh said.A number of amendments, including one from Sen. Brian Hardin, throttled the bill on Tuesday night. Hardin called LB933 a “recreational marijuana bill masquerading as a medical marijuana bill” in an interview with KETV on Wednesday.That means practitioners still won’t have legal protections this year, something Cavanaugh said will be chilling to the program facing a critical attorney general.”You cannot have a medical cannabis program if no doctors are able to make a recommendation for their patients,” Cavanaugh said.Attorney General Mike Hilgers’ office said on Wednesday that he is “responsible for ensuring the safety of patients.”” is charged with reviewing complaints as to medical professionals who violate the terms of their licenses,” the statement said. “We take that obligation very seriously, and the office will look at any medical professional who has been alleged to have violated the conditions of their license.”Every other state with a medical-only cannabis program has protections for practitioners. Nebraska”It feels like a slap in the face,” Bronson said. “There’s no nice way of saying it.”Bronson and Gillen said they’ll continue to advocate for what they say is necessary for many Nebraskan patients.But they say they’re uncertain about the future as Nebraska continues to chart its own course. The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission has missed deadlines, restricted forms of cannabis patients can use, and capped the total number of plants cultivators can grow to just 1,250. That’s a total of 5,000 hemp plants across the four licensed cultivators.”What I’ve heard from people who want to get licenses, they’re already saying that that won’t be enough,” Gillen said.The Medical Cannabis Commission did not respond for comment on Wednesday. But it will hold its next public meeting next Monday at 1 p.m. in the State Office Building in Lincoln.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
More than a year after voters overwhelmingly approved medical cannabis in Nebraska, the state is nowhere near having a functioning program.
Some state lawmakers and cannabis advocates say the latest blow landed Tuesday night, when a bill offering protections to healthcare practitioners who recommend medical cannabis faltered on the legislative floor.
“If there are no practitioners, there are no patients in this program,” Crista Eggers with Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana said. “What seems to be the goal of this is to make sure Nebraska never has a functioning program.”
The stories of families fighting for a medical cannabis program stack up every day.
“His seizures happen all the time. He’s probably he’s having probably hundreds a day,” Dominic Gillen said. “We thought we were the only family. And we’ve come to find out that there are thousands of Nebraskans that are in need of this.”
Gillen’s son Will has Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy. So does Matthew Bronson’s son Teddy. Bronson is a disabled veteran and carries chronic pain with him every day.
“I want to take something or use something that will help with the pain, but not impair me to the point where I cannot give aid to my child,” Bronson said.
Both families celebrated when Nebraskans overwhelmingly greenlit a medical cannabis program.
“That means 71% of the state says, ‘Let’s do this. Let’s try it,’” Bronson said.
But they say lawmakers and other state officials hung the program out to dry since 2024.
“The legislature has not fulfilled the real intent of the voters,” Gillen said.
Sen. John Cavanaugh championed LB933, aiming to protect healthcare practitioners who recommend cannabis, a Schedule 1 substance.
“Not a single doctor in Nebraska has made a recommendation because they are afraid that the retribution by the attorney general or other law enforcement against their license,” Cavanaugh said.
A number of amendments, including one from Sen. Brian Hardin, throttled the bill on Tuesday night. Hardin called LB933 a “recreational marijuana bill masquerading as a medical marijuana bill” in an interview with KETV on Wednesday.
That means practitioners still won’t have legal protections this year, something Cavanaugh said will be chilling to the program facing a critical attorney general.
“You cannot have a medical cannabis program if no doctors are able to make a recommendation for their patients,” Cavanaugh said.
Attorney General Mike Hilgers’ office said on Wednesday that he is “responsible for ensuring the safety of patients.”
“[The Attorney General] is charged with reviewing complaints as to medical professionals who violate the terms of their licenses,” the statement said. “We take that obligation very seriously, and the office will look at any medical professional who has been alleged to have violated the conditions of their license.”
Every other state with a medical-only cannabis program has protections for practitioners. Nebraska
“It feels like a slap in the face,” Bronson said. “There’s no nice way of saying it.”
Bronson and Gillen said they’ll continue to advocate for what they say is necessary for many Nebraskan patients.
But they say they’re uncertain about the future as Nebraska continues to chart its own course. The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission has missed deadlines, restricted forms of cannabis patients can use, and capped the total number of plants cultivators can grow to just 1,250. That’s a total of 5,000 hemp plants across the four licensed cultivators.
“What I’ve heard from people who want to get licenses, they’re already saying that that won’t be enough,” Gillen said.
The Medical Cannabis Commission did not respond for comment on Wednesday. But it will hold its next public meeting next Monday at 1 p.m. in the State Office Building in Lincoln.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Legalizing online sports betting has met with resistance in the Nebraska Legislature for years.
Tax Relief Nebraska, a group backed by Nebraska casinos and online sports betting groups, took the issue to the people of the state through a petition drive.
Those petitions are now in, and casino officials say they expect to have enough signatures to make the November ballot — but also expect pushback through Election Day.
The case for online betting
Currently, legal sports bets cannot be placed on a phone in Nebraska. Casino operators say people who choose to wager are finding other ways to do it.
“They’re just doing it illegally through a virtual private network, or they’re driving over to the first exit between Iowa and Nebraska, placing a bet and then driving back to their home,” said Lynne McNally of Warhorse Casino.
Nebraska casino operators say the state has already collected millions of dollars in state taxes and property tax relief from casino gambling, and that online sports betting would add to that total.
A majority of Nebraskans voted for casino gambling to enter the state in 2020, and casino operators expect similar support if the online betting petition makes the November ballot.
“As you know, we got 65% on the constitutional amendment and actually got nearly 70% on the tax portion of the statute when the casinos were legalized in 2020. I think that we’ll be in that area, if not maybe a little higher than that,” McNally said.
“There’s always going to be a sector of the public that doesn’t want to gamble. They don’t want to go to our facilities and that’s just fine. I guess I have an objection with trying to tell other people what to do,” McNally said.
The opposition
The Nebraska Family Alliance stands against online gambling and plans to campaign against the initiative across the state. The nonprofit group issued a statement that reads in part: “Online sports betting has been a massive public policy failure that benefits national sportsbooks at the expense of kids, student-athletes, families and businesses. While they have more money, they don’t have the truth.”
Pat Loontjer, director of Gambling with the Good Life, has opposed expanded gambling in Nebraska for 30 years.
“They’re telling the same lie — property tax relief. Well in Nebraska you say property tax relief and everybody says where do I sign,” Loontjer said.
Loontjer also raised concerns about the impact on young people.
“Sports betting on the phone is the most addictive thing for young people, young men especially. You’ve got kids that are going to lose their scholarships, lose their future,” Loontjer said.
What comes next
If enough signatures are verified and the issue is placed on the November ballot, Warhorse Casino officials say Nebraskans could be able to make sports bets on their phones by spring of next year.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Along with marching in the parade, the high schools will tour the U.S. Capitol, visit Mount Vernon and other monuments and museums.
Around 80 Grand Island students are making the trip. Lee said the students cover their own costs, with fundraising largely run though the school’s booster program helping offset the expense.
Bishop Neumann’s 53 students benefited from community donations, along with a holiday greenery sale and fundraisers, which Kellett said helped cover airfare and other costs.
For both directors, the trip carries extra weight tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“That’s a pretty big milestone,” Lee said. “And to be able to be a part of that is pretty neat.”
Kellett said the moment will stay with students long after the parade ends.
“These kids, they’ll be around for the 300th anniversary of the country, and they’ll be able to look back and tell their grandkids, ‘you know, I was there at 250 and was able to march in the National Independence Day Parade,’” Kellett said.
Both bands have spent the summer preparing. Grand Island started working on its music after its final spring concert in May, rehearsing its marching and music together on Tuesday evenings.
Bishop Neumann has rehearsed continuously over the summer and marched in two parades to prepare, a 150th anniversary celebration in Weston and the Papillion Days parade.
Kellett said the band’s last rehearsal in Wahoo drew residents who lined the streets holding signs and cheering the students on.
“The students have come in, and they’ve worked really hard,” Kellett said. “They have their music memorized and they’ve worked on their marching skills, and so all that effort into this they’re ready to go for the parade.”
The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. CT Saturday at Third Street and Constitution Avenue.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Like his father, Zack Erstad is a Husker. Erstad, the son of Hall of Fame baseball player Darin Erstad, joined the Nebraska men’s golf program on Tuesday.
Zack signed with the Huskers one month after winning a state championship at Lincoln East. With the Spartans, Erstad was a two-time NSAA champion. He was Class A’s individual runner-up in 2026. The previous year, Erstad claimed the Nebraska Junior PGA Championship title.
Erstad said joining the Huskers is a dream come true. The Nebraska newcomer grew up playing baseball and hockey. However, he focused solely on golf while in high school.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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