Assuming medical cannabis sales begin in Nebraska in the middle of 2026, the state could generate over $925 million in new economic activity through 2030.
The numbers come from Andrew Livingston, Director of Economics and Research at national cannabis law firm Vicente LLP.
According to the firm, the state is projected to register more than 93 thousand patients by the end of 2030. Out to 2030, Nebraska could sell $440 million in medical cannabis; resulting in more than $925 million of new economic activity.
Any of this potentially happening hinges on what voters say in November – but that isn’t the only challenge.
Nebraskans will be voting on two cannabis related ballot initiatives; numbered 437 and 438. Together the two will establish legal protections for patients and their caregivers and create a safe and regulated medical marketplace for Nebraska patients.
“Medical cannabis is not just a lifeline for patients, Initiatives 437 and 438 will benefit local communities throughout Nebraska, generate hundreds of millions in economic activity, and open new business opportunities across the state,” said Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis (NF4MC) Executive Director Crista Eggers. “Nebraska voters are ready to come together and join the majority of states by regulating cannabis for medical purposes,” said Eggers.
But the November vote isn’t the only hurdle. The validity of signatures on the petitions that got the initiatives on the ballot have been questioned, and this has become quite a legal mess. The number of allegedly questionable signatures has grown since the allegations were first made to approximately 49,000 on each petition according to the Nebraska Examiner.
Commenting on the situation, NF4MC said:
“We are appalled by the State of Nebraska and its elected officials who are willing to stop at nothing to deprive Nebraskans of the chance to vote on compassionate access to medical cannabis for suffering patients.”
Nebraskans For Medical Marijuana (NMM), which led the petition drive, stated:
“It is appalling that the State of Nebraska is working to silence and disenfranchise the voices of tens of thousands of Nebraskans based on primarily unsubstantiated technical issues. These issues have absolutely nothing to do with the more than 115,000 voters who signed each of these petitions, or the dedicated patients and Nebraska citizens who worked hard to get the issue on the ballot.”
This has been the third time NMM has taken a crack at getting medical marijuana legalisation in front of the state’s voters – and the closest it has come to achieving its aims.
