Nebraska left off congressional medical cannabis protections prohibiting DOJ interference
Source: Nebraska Examiner
Congress currently protects 47 states with medical marijuana laws from Justice Department interference, but not Nebraska
By: Zach Wendling - February 16, 2026 5:52 pm
LINCOLN — Congress has regularly updated federal protections for state laws allowing medical cannabis. But the latest national update in January left Nebraska’s new laws off the list.
Congress has annually passed a provision preventing the U.S. Department of Justice and related agencies from using federal appropriations to interfere with state medical marijuana programs since 2014. Today, the list covers 47 states.
But despite Nebraskans approving two ballot measures to legalize and regulate the new medicine in 2024, national and state medical cannabis advocates say the Cornhusker State became the first not added in the dozen years since Congress first passed the provision as part of a spending bill.
The measure specifically prevents the Justice Department from using federal funds “to prevent any of them [states or territories] from implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession or cultivation of medical marijuana.”
Supporters of medical cannabis helped two measures reach the 2024 general election ballot, Initiatives 437 and 438. Some spoke during a public hearing at the University of Nebraska at Omaha on Oct. 25, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
Read more: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/02/16/nebraska-left-off-congressional-medical-cannabis-protections-prohibiting-doj-interference/