Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
Nebraska's CBD hemp market remains one of the most highly restricted when it comes to cannabis law enforcement. According to Nebraska state laws, marijuana remains illegal, and medical cannabis is not available despite its purported health benefits. This is largely due to Nebraska being a conservative state that borders Colorado, where the marijuana cannabis plant is totally legal. In the midst of that backlash, where does that leave CBD oil? Is it legal to buy CBD oil in Nebraska?
Hemp cultivation is federally legal in all 50 states since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. That means that hemp is now defined as strains of the cannabis plant that are less than 0.3 percent THC, short for tetrahydrocannabinol. The Farm Bill opened up cannabidiol CBD oil to national sale. Even so, individual states have their own restrictions on hemp farming and regulations when it comes to CBD and THC.
After November 2020, Nebraska is now bordered by two fully legal marijuana states, after South Dakota voters decided to legalize medical cannabis and recreational marijuana at the exact same time. Missouri, which borders Nebraska to the southeast, also has legalized medical marijuana. Even Iowa to Nebraska’s east has a limited medical marijuana program. So what does that all mean for CBD oil in Nebraska? Is legal to buy CBD in Nebraska?
NEBRASKA HEMP HISTORY
Historically, Nebraska participated in America’s industrial hemp economy before prohibition took it away from Nebraska farmers. Even though by the second decade of the 20th century, American hemp cultivation was in decline because of competition from cheaper alternatives grown internationally.
“The reason for the decline, think department officials, is the lack of labor-saving machinery to care for the hemp crop, the increased profitableness of other crops and the lack of special knowledge and skill required to handle hemp,” according to the Nebraska Farmer from 1914. “At one time a large acreage of hemp was grown near Havelock, Nebraska, but now the industry has entirely disappeared from that locality. It is believed that under proper conditions hemp culture may be quite profitable to farmers.”1 Havelock is now a suburb of Lincoln.
NEBRASKA MARIJUANA LAWS
The marijuana plant is now decriminalized according to Nebraska law, but it is still illegal. Multiple failed attempts to get medical cannabis onto the November ballot have delayed any additional progress. In late 2020, after the Nebraska Supreme Court removed medical cannabis from the 2020 ballot, leaders of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana wasted no time to submit a new petition for 2022.2
Possession of marijuana in Nebraska, one ounce or less, is punishable by a maximum fine of $300, and the judge may order the offender to complete a drug education course instead of jail time.3 According to the ACLU, African Americans in Nebraska are nearly five times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession as their white neighbors, despite similar use rates.4
NEBRASKA CBD LAWS
In late 2019, the Nebraska Hemp Farming Act was passed which legalized hemp production and sale of hemp products in the state, following the guidance of the 2018 Farm Bill.5 The Nebraska Department of Agriculture issued 10 licenses to farms scattered across the state to try growing hemp, which once grew well in the Cornhusker state.
The Wiles family farm near Plattsmouth, Nebraska was one of the 10 issued a license. Plattsmouth is just south of Omaha. In October 2019, Paul Hammel of the Omaha World-Herald reported from the Wiles’ farm.
“The nearly 284 hemp plants — affectionately called ‘my girls’ by grower Annette Wiles because they’re all female plants — are part of a modest pilot project authorized by the state this year to see if the pungent, stalky plant that looks and smells like marijuana can become a viable commercial crop,” Hammel wrote for the World-Herald.6
Advocates criticized the state for opening up only 10 licenses for the 187 farms that applied. But in early 2020, federal officials approved Nebraska’s hemp plan, which opened the door for the Nebraska Department of Agriculture to issue more licenses to produce hemp and its products in the state.7 As with many other agricultural states, Nebraskans view hemp and the future cultivation of marijuana with cautious optimism as a boon to the state’s economy. The Nebraska Hemp Farming Act was a good step in the right direction for realizing this future.
BUT IS FULL SPECTRUM CBD OIL LEGAL IN NEBRASKA?
As of the end of 2020, no one can say with absolute certainty whether it's legal to buy CBD oil in Nebraska. For starters, the state Attorney General, Doug Peterson, issued a memo in November 2018 declaring that all CBD oils were still considered to be on the Schedule I controlled substance list.8 His office has not issued any clarifying information since the creation of the Nebraska hemp program in 2019, or its federal approval in 2020.9
CAN I GET CBD OIL MAILED TO ME IN NEBRASKA?
Because of confusion about Nebraska CBD oil laws, it’s natural to wonder if it’s legal to receive CBD oil in the mail to an address in Nebraska. To our knowledge here at Cornbread Hemp, the answer is yes. And here’s why: because CBD oil is legal under federal law according to the 2018 Farm Bill, the US Postal Service has affirmatively stated that it is legal to send hemp derived CBD products through the mail, even CBD gummies and CBD capsules that contain up to 2mg of THC.10 At no point has post offices advised against sending CBD oil in the mail to certain states.
After all, the mail box at your house is considered to be federal property. So federal law should win any contradiction between state and federal law. But please don’t consider this to be legal advice. If you order CBD products in the mail to an address in Nebraska, it is up to you to obey state law once you receive those products. (This blog is for informational purposes only.)
Online retail shopping for CBD oil remains one of the safest ways to buy CBD oil in Nebraska. Shopping online allows you to do your research, access reviews, and check out third party lab results to assure yourself that there are no fillers or artificial flavorings in your CBD oil. Cornbread Hemp tests every batch and publishes the reports right on our website for easy access.
CBD LAWS IN NEBRASKA: CONCLUSION
Nebraska remains behind a majority of the states that have more progressive THC, CBD, and cannabis plant laws. Several of its neighboring states have at least legalized medical cannabis under certain health conditions: Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, and of course, Colorado, which has some of the most liberal cannabis laws in the country.
When it comes to buying CBD oil in the state of Nebraska, buying from online CBD retailers is one of the safest ways of procuring hemp derived CBD products. Reviews and test results are readily available online with responsible online distributors and retailers.
When you’re shopping for hemp derived CBD oil products, look for USDA certified organic, non-GMO CBD products grown from organic hemp plant flowers cultivated with no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and with no extra flavoring, preservatives, or other fillers — like Cornbread Hemp CBD oils. Delivery by the USPS and UPS is speedy, legal, and safe.
