Lincoln senator’s bill to legalize medical cannabis has its day in committee

Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln proposed a bill that would legalize medical cannabis in Nebraska.

She said medical cannabis would help people with cancer and other chronic conditions.

At a hearing held by the Judiciary Committee Friday, she said there are studies saying one of the therapeutic uses of cannabis is to treat chronic pain in adults.

She had a lot of support. One woman said her son suffers from a rare seizure disorder and that she would like to see cannabis as an alternative to the drugs he’s currently taking.

“Many of the FDA–approved drugs Will has been on are gateway drugs themselves due to them being…addictive,” Shelley Gillen said.  “Thanks to the FDA, our son is already a drug addict – and not by choice – and he has been ever since he was an infant.”

Sen. Wishart also said there has never been a fatal overdose of cannabis.