Nearly two years after Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved medical cannabis in the state, new survey data shows cannabis legalization is gaining steam among the state’s residents.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Rural Drug Addiction Research Center tracked Nebraskans’ opinions on and use of cannabis through the Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey in 2024 and 2026. According to the most recent data, 47% of Nebraska adults said they were in favor of legal marijuana for both medical and recreational use. In 2024, that number was 44%. Additionally, in 2026, 84% of Nebraskans surveyed supported legal medical cannabis, compared to 80% in 2024.
People are also reading…
Nebraska voters voiced their approval for medical marijuana at the ballot box in November 2024 by passing an initiative with 71% voting in favor. This month, Nebraska officials signed off on permanent regulations, and the first cultivator license was issued.
The report also showed use of cannabis is up from 2024 to 2026. Eleven percent of Nebraskans surveyed said they used marijuana purchased legally out of state in 2024, while 15% said the same in 2026.
Use of Delta 8 and other THC products is also up from 8% reporting use in 2024 to 10% in 2026. These products are legal through a 2018 Farm Bill loophole that was meant to help farmers grow hemp. A law redefining the legal thresholds of THC in hemp is set to go into effect in November, closing the loophole, though lawsuits have been filed to challenge the law.
Patrick Habecker, research assistant professor with the center and co-author of the report, said he found the growth in overall cannabis usage and in people crossing state lines to obtain it surprising. Recreational marijuana is legal in bordering states Colorado and Missouri.
“The amount of people crossing the borders of Nebraska to obtain it, I thought that was interesting to see how many were engaging in that,” he said.
Habecker said it is important for research to track changes in opinion and use of substances to help inform policy.
“The market is always changing, with many options, and those change, too,” he said. “It’s a very different market than it was 10 years ago.
“It’s also important to understand how regions and population centers differ on public policy around substance use.”
For example, there is more support for recreational and medical marijuana in metropolitan areas (Omaha, Lincoln, Grand Island and Sioux City), where 54% said they were in favor, compared to only 35% in micropolitan areas (Fremont, Norfolk, Columbus, Beatrice, Hastings, Kearney, Lexington, North Platte and Scottsbluff) and 32% in all other counties.
Habecker will continue to track opinions and use of marijuana in Nebraska and expects to see some changes as medical marijuana becomes available in the state, and as the farm bill loophole closes — if it does.
“I think we're in an interesting place right now, especially for Nebraska, in that there isn’t a legal recreational market, nor an operating medical market, but there are a lot of dispensaries who operate out of that farm bill loophole,” he said. “If that loophole closes and those dispensaries can no longer operate in the same way, are we going to see more people move to an illicit market within the state? Are more people going to be crossing state borders to purchase cannabis, or will people use less?"
