The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission unveiled draft rules Monday establishing fees for medical cannabis businesses, moving to implement a licensing system voters approved at the 2024 election.
\nUnder the proposal, applicants would pay a $5,000 application fee, a $1,500 relocation fee, and $13,000 to join the state's seed-to-sale inventory tracking system, due at each renewal. New product licensing would cost $250, with a $100 renewal. The plan drops a standalone transporter license category; product manufacturers could instead add a transporter certification to their operations.
\nLicense fees by category: cultivators, $20,000 new/$23,500 renewal; transporter certification, $10,000; product manufacturers, $20,000 new/$23,500 renewal (or $28,500 with transporter certification); dispensaries, $15,000 new/$18,000 renewal. Combined with the $13,000 tracking fee, licensees would owe roughly $30,000 to over $40,000 annually.
\nCommission rules cap licenses at four cultivators, four product manufacturers, and 12 dispensaries by judicial district, meaning one dispensary each in Douglas County (584,526 residents), Lancaster County (322,608), Sarpy/Cass Counties (217,202), and Buffalo/Hall Counties (112,979), per 2020 census figures. All four cultivator slots are filled; one has begun growing.
\nApplications for product manufacturer licenses opened in mid-June, with at least two submitted. The deadline was extended to August 17, the commission's next meeting, via its website. No timeline exists yet for approving manufacturer or dispensary licenses, though manufacturer approvals likely won't come before September.
\nAdvocates, including several who led the 2024 legalization campaign, urged faster action. Crista Eggers of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana said, “I can tell you, it is a certain type of hell to be a parent who has given the last decade of my life to this effort and now have serious concerns of whether my son is ever helped.” Troy Burgess, a six-year cannabis industry veteran from Oklahoma and one of the two manufacturer applicants, said, “We need to start thinking more proactively and working to remove roadblocks, eliminate them. We're here to help. Ask.” Both urged commissioners to work with legislators in January on testing, confidentiality, and provider protections.
\nThe rules gained legal force earlier this month after Attorney General Mike Hilgers (R) and Gov. Jim Pillen (R) signed off, clearing the way for fee additions. The Legislature authorized fee collection and dedicated funding this spring, after failing to do so in 2025.
\nInterim chair Lorelle Mueting called the changes "foundational," comparing agency-building to constructing a house. The commission hired a program manager July 6 and legal counsel Monday, and is searching for an executive director. The board voted 3-0 to approve the fees pending legal review; Commissioner Bud Synhorst was absent. Mueting said she's unsure how Pillen's recent spending-cut directive will affect the agency; Commissioner Jim Elworth will help prepare its budget request.
\nSeparately, cultivator Kent Rogert said he reached a tentative deal with Washington County over a stop-work order, gaining a path to apply for a conditional use permit, with an update possible by August.
\nThe commission next meets August 17 at 1 p.m.
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