The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission updated its new permanent regulations during the first meeting since Gov. Jim Pillen approved them.
The updates Monday included creating fees for cultivator, manufacturer, transporter and dispensary applications; laying out a framework for tracking cannabis products; and setting up requirements for any transporters of medical cannabis, among others. Commission chairwoman Lorelle Meuting said more work is needed before the program can commence.
“Building a new regulatory agency is much like constructing a house,” Meuting said. “Before patients can receive services, the commission must first build the foundation.”
The fees start with a $5,000 application fee for any business seeking to work in the state’s cannabis system. Cultivators and manufacturers must pay an additional $20,000 for a license; dispensaries must pay $15,000; and transporters seeking a certificate and license, which are required under the regulations, must pay $10,000. The renewal annual fees for each are even higher. Current licensees also must pay $13,000 to participate in the required inventory state tracking system by Feb 1.
These regulations will be reviewed by the commission’s attorney.
The Cannabis Commission is now more than one year old. While public commenters, as they do at every commission meeting, objected to how long it is taking the commission to get the state’s medical cannabis program off the ground, the commission only recently gained some of the power required to make these updates. In April, the Legislature passed bills that give the commission the ability to hire staff and collect fees to pay that staff.
Commissioners also heard updates from current license holders, including Kent Rogert, representing grower KRL Med LLC. While Rogert’s operations were suspended under a disagreement over allowable agricultural products under a Washington County agriculture permit, he said the company has since cleared things up with county staff. He expects the company will be ready for its required inspection by the commission’s next meeting on Aug.17.
The commission extended its July 20 deadline for accepting manufacturing applications to Aug. 17, saying that it had not received “sufficient” applications. Two manufacturers were in attendance, Ogre Village and Sweetwater Cannabis Company. They asked if the commission had received the applications they submitted and handed in hard copies during the meeting.
Crista Eggers, executive director of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, asked the commission during public comment to include in its updates protections for medical practitioners, who she says are too afraid of potential lawsuits to actually prescribe medical cannabis. She asked commissioners to work harder to get the program started.
“There is a widespread belief that this commission, which is responsible for implementing this program, does not want it to succeed,” Eggers said. “Choosing not to spearhead this is going to continue to support this narrative.”
