Medical marijuana legalization stalled

A bill was bracketed May 27 that would legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska.

Introduced by Bellevue Sen. Tommy Garrett, LB643 would authorize the state Department of Health and Human Services to regulate the manufacture and use of cannabis in Nebraska for medical purposes.

Garrett offered a motion to bracket the bill until June 15, 2015, later saying that he intends to work with senators over the interim to improve the bill and that he planned to bring it back for the 2016 session.

The Medical Cannabis Act would require the department to establish a patient registry and define qualifying medical conditions required for enrollment in the registry to include seizures, severe or chronic pain and nausea associated with cancer, acquired immune deficiency syndrome or epilepsy.

The bill would locate centers in each of the state’s congressional districts to distribute Medical cannabis in liquid, oil or pill form.

A five-person, governor-appointed Medical Cannabis Board would advise the department regarding medical cannabis regulations.

There were no objections to Garrett’s bracket motion and it was approved by unanimous consent, ending debate on LB643 for the session. Several amendments are pending on the bill.