# House bill seeks federal protection for Nebraska medical cannabis  
**Published:** 2026-04-30T17:27:13.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/nebraska-medical-cannabis-laws-could-soon-be-protected-from-federal-interference-after-all/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/house-bill-seeks-federal-protection-for-nebraska-medical-cannabis

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska's medical cannabis laws could soon receive federal protection after being excluded from congressional safeguards earlier this year, according to a [proposed U.S. House spending bill released Wednesday](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/nebraska-medical-cannabis-laws-could-soon-be-protected-from-federal-interference-after-all/).

The U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies included Nebraska on its fiscal year 2027 spending bill, restoring the state to a list of jurisdictions protected from federal Department of Justice interference with state medical marijuana laws. Congress has maintained such protections annually since 2014, but Nebraska was notably omitted when the previous spending bill passed in January — the first time a state was excluded after implementing a medical cannabis program.

[Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved medical cannabis](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/02/16/nebraska-left-off-congressional-medical-cannabis-protections-prohibiting-doj-interference/) in 2024, and the [Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission has been developing regulations](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/13/medical-cannabis-regulations-now-headed-to-nebraska-ag-governor-for-approval/) to implement the program. Without explicit federal protection, Nebraska remained in legal uncertainty as the commission moved forward with licensing cultivators, processors and dispensaries.

The new bill also includes language to prevent federal appropriations from being used to reclassify marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act. This provision comes after [Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche recently downgraded state-licensed medical marijuana and FDA-approved marijuana products from Schedule I to Schedule III](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/23/nebraska-advocates-cheer-as-doj-downgrades-medical-cannabis-to-schedule-iii-drug/), a move federal officials are pursuing more broadly with a hearing scheduled for June 29, 2026.

Nebraska's all-Republican congressional delegation has not explained how or why the state was excluded from the January spending bill. U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts and other state officials have opposed marijuana rescheduling at the federal level, though U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, who is not seeking reelection, expressed support for rescheduling "as it is necessary to allow for further research."

The spending bill will need approval from the full House Appropriations Committee and must pass both chambers of Congress before reaching President Donald Trump's desk. Meanwhile, the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission continues advancing regulations that have been extended through temporary 90-day periods since the program's implementation deadline.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/nebraska-medical-cannabis-laws-could-soon-be-protected-from-federal-interference-after-all/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/nebraska-medical-cannabis-laws-could-soon-be-protected-from-federal-interference-after-all/.