‘It’s tough to watch that today’: Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission Chairwoman resigns

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The chairwoman of the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission announced her resignation on Monday, 11 months after the formation of the commission.

The commission aims to help implement the sales of medicinal marijuana at qualified dispensaries for eligible patrons.

Dr. Monica Oldenburg held the position of chairwoman for a little more than nine months before deciding to step down without giving any reasons.

She is the third commissioner to resign since December 2024.

Crista Eggers is the Executive Director of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana and says she had high hopes the commission would fairly implement medicinal marijuana, but is now concerned that is not happening.

“We don’t have a commission that is working, we don’t have a commission that is adhering and respecting what voters did pass,” said Eggers.

“We see a restriction of products, THC caps, just a lottery and licensing process that has gone on and on and is still a long way from actually functioning.”

The decision to legalize medicinal marijuana was approved in November of 2024, with an expectation that eligible dispensaries would be able to sell it by Oct. 2025.

Currently, in February 2026, many predict the deadline may not be reached for at least another year, affecting many dealing with pain.

“The people that are hurting are the people that have been hurting and been waiting and continued showing up. It’s tough, it’s tough to watch that today,” said Eggers.

Brett Mayo is the chief marketing and extraction officer for Sweetwater Hemp.

He said this in reaction to the recent resignation, “For many patients, it’s a tough pill to swallow, for all the people waiting to be prescribed medical cannabis.”

There are four types of licenses needed to be assigned in order for medicinal marijuana to reach patrons.

There is one for growers, transporters, manufacturers, and retailers, yet only growers have been assigned a license.

Mayo says that even if growers began cultivating the plant today, production could still take another year to complete.

Sarah Linden is the CEO & owner of Grateful Green dispensary and says, “Tons of guests are using hemp for medical purposes because they don’t have the product that they actually want, medicinal marijuana.”

Crista Eggers says she’s trying to remain hopeful, however, “We don’t really see this issue move forward in a meaningful way that respects what voters passed, and I think that’s why elections  are clearly going be important this year.”