2 weeks Ago
Attorney General Mike Hilgers (right) talks next to Gov. Jim Pillen in the Governor's Hearing Room on Jan. 13 at the Capitol.
Nebraska's top law enforcement official will send cease and desist letters to THC shops across Kearney and Grand Island, the attorney general announced Thursday, marking the latest escalation of his multi-year legal campaign bent on ridding the state of the hemp-derived substance. In a news release Thursday afternoon, Attorney General Mike Hilgers' office said it would send the legal notices to all THC retailers in the two central Nebraska cities "that have not already been sued." The letters call on shop owners to "immediately cease all sales of unlawful THC-containing products to Nebraska consumers to avoid litigation.
" "The Attorney General’s Office is demanding that each store return a signed document indicating their Assurance of Voluntary Compliance," Hilgers' office said in the news release. "If they do not return a signed settlement, then the office will initiate litigation and will seek penalties and fees to the fullest extent allowed by law." People are also reading.
.. The letters follow police investigations into "multiple stores" in the cities that revealed more than 95% of products investigators purchased were mislabeled, some of which "appeared to be marijuana marketed as hemp," Hilgers' office alleged Thursday.
Hilgers' announcement comes two weeks after his office sent cease and desist letters to 104 THC retailers in Omaha and more than a year after the state began filing lawsuits against every THC shop in Norfolk as part of Hilgers' crusade to "clean up" the state. Hilgers Recreational marijuana remains illegal in Nebraska, but lawmakers in 2019 legalized the production and sale of hemp . The law requires that hemp products harvested or sold in the state contain no more than 0.
3% of Delta 9 THC, but no limits were placed on the hundreds of other cannabinoids present in hemp, including Delta 8, essentially creating a loophole for businesses to sell it. Dispensary-type shops have done so across the state since at least 2021, often advertising "Delta 8" or "Delta 10" products that resemble marijuana in their look, odor and effects. Hilgers — who as a state lawmaker in 2019 voted for the bill that created the loophole — has been seeking to close it for more than a year, first trying to crack down on the industry with a series of consumer protection lawsuits in 2023 before asking the Legislature to outlaw THC last year.
He has pinned his opposition to Delta 8 and other cannabinoids on their mysterious production processes, mislabeling, unknown health effects and deceptive marketing. The attorney general has now filed dozens of lawsuits against THC retailers across the state and asked lawmakers to ban the substance "once and for all" this year. Sen.
Kathleen Kauth of Omaha in January introduced a bill (LB316) that seeks to ban hemp products in Nebraska that contain more than 0.3% of any strain of THC, which would close the loophole. At a public hearing over the bill later that month, retailers pleaded with lawmakers to regulate the industry instead , warning that banning the substances would force hundreds of small businesses to close across the state.
The Legislature's Judiciary Committee has not advanced the bill to the floor to be debated by the full Legislature. Sen. Jared Storm of David City gave the bill his personal priority designation, which increases a bill's chance of being taken up by lawmakers.
But Omaha Sen. John Cavanaugh — whose bill to regulate the hemp industry has faced interference from Hilgers — has filed preemptive motions on Kauth's bill that signal his intent to filibuster it, which would require a supermajority of 33 lawmakers to overcome and could act as a deterrent for the Legislature to debate the bill at all. Hilgers has vowed to "dramatically increase the scope, size and speed of" his legal campaign if lawmakers don't pass Kauth's bill.
His office doubled down on that pledged in Thursday's announcement, suggesting retailers "may put their tobacco licenses at risk" if they keep selling THC. “We will continue to escalate our city-by-city efforts until this problem is solved," Hilgers said. Download the new Journal Star News Mobile App Meet Nebraska state senators making laws in 2025 District 49 Bob Andersen Omaha Elected 2024 402-471-2725 bandersen@leg.
ne.gov District 14 John Arch La Vista Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2730 [email protected].
gov District 18 Christy Armendariz Omaha Elected 2022 402-471-2618 [email protected] District 21 Beau Ballard Lincoln Appointed 2023, elected 2024 402-471-2673 bballard@leg.
ne.gov District 25 Carolyn Bosn Lincoln Appointed 2023, elected 2024 402-471-2731 [email protected].
gov District 29 Eliot Bostar Lincoln Elected 2020, 2024 402-471-2734 [email protected] District 32 Tom Brandt Plymouth Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2711 tbrandt@leg.
ne.gov District 9 John Cavanaugh Omaha Elected 2020, 2024 402-471-2723 [email protected].
gov District 6 Machaela Cavanaugh Omaha Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2714 [email protected] District 2 Robert Clements Elmwood Appt.
2017, elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2613 [email protected] District 37 Stanley Clouse Kearney Elected 2024 402-471-2726 sclouse@leg.
ne.gov District 46 Danielle Conrad Lincoln Elected 2022 402-471-2720 [email protected].
gov District 10 Wendy DeBoer Bennington Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2718 [email protected] District 40 Barry DeKay Niobrara Elected 2022 402-471-2801 bdekay@leg.
ne.gov District 30 Myron Dorn Adams Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2620 [email protected].
gov District 19 Robert Dover Norfolk Appointed 2022, elected 2024 402-471-2929 [email protected] District 26 George Dungan Lincoln Elected 2022 402-471-2610 gdungan@leg.
ne.gov District 20 John Fredrickson Omaha Elected 2022 402-471-2622 [email protected].
gov District 7 Dunixi Guereca Omaha Elected 2024 402-471-2721 [email protected] District 1 Bob Hallstrom Syracuse Elected 2024 402-471-2733 bhallstrom@leg.
ne.gov District 16 Ben Hansen Blair Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2728 [email protected].
gov District 48 Brian Hardin Gering Elected 2022 402-471-2802 [email protected] District 36 Rick Holdcroft Bellevue Elected 2022 402-471-2642 rholdcroft@leg.
ne.gov District 24 Jana Hughes Seward Elected 2022 402-471-2756 [email protected].
gov District 8 Megan Hunt Omaha Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2722 [email protected] District 44 Teresa Ibach Sumner Elected 2022 402-471-2805 tibach@leg.
ne.gov District 42 Mike Jacobson North Platte Appt. 2022, elected 2022 402-471-2729 mjacobson@leg.
ne.gov District 5 Margo Juarez Omaha Elected 2024 402-471-2710 [email protected].
gov District 31 Kathleen Kauth Omaha Appt. 2022, elected 2022, 2024 402-471-2327 [email protected].
gov District 34 Loren Lippincott Central City Elected 2022 402-471-2630 [email protected] District 33 Dan Lonowski Hastings Elected 2024 402-471-2712 dlonowski@leg.
ne.gov District 41 Dan McKeon Amherst Elected 2024 402-471-2885 [email protected].
gov District 11 Terrell McKinney Omaha Elected 2020, 2024 402-471-2612 [email protected] District 17 Glen Meyer Pender Elected 2024 402-471-2716 gmeyer@leg.
ne.gov District 22 Mike Moser Columbus Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2715 [email protected].
gov District 38 Dave Murman Glenvil Elected 2018, 2022 402-471-2732 [email protected] District 27 Jason Prokop Lincoln Elected 2024 402-471-2632 jprokop@leg.
ne.gov District 35 Dan Quick Grand Island Elected 2024 402-471-2617 [email protected].
gov District 28 Jane Raybould Lincoln Elected 2022 402-471-2633 [email protected] District 12 Merv Riepe Ralston Elected 2022 402-471-2623 mriepe@leg.
ne.gov District 3 Victor Rountree Bellevue Elected 2024 402-471-2627 [email protected].
gov District 45 Rita Sanders Bellevue Elected 2020, 2024 402-471-2615 [email protected] District 39 Tony Sorrentino Elkhorn Elected 2024 402-471-2885 tsorrentino@leg.
ne.gov District 13 Ashlei Spivey Omaha Elected 2024 402-471-2727 [email protected].
gov District 43 Tanya Storer Whitman Elected 2024 402-471-2628 [email protected] District 23 Jared Storm David City Elected 2024 402-471-2719 jstorm@leg.
ne.gov District 47 Paul Strommen Sidney Elected 2024 402-471-2616 [email protected].
gov District 4 R. Brad von Gillern Elkhorn Elected 2022 402-471-2621 [email protected].
gov District 15 Dave Wordekemper Fremont Elected 2024 402-471-2625 [email protected] Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.
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