President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug, marking a significant policy shift for families like the Gillens, who have advocated for medical cannabis access for over a decade.
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The rescheduling moves marijuana from the same classification as heroin and LSD to a category with "moderate to low potential" for physical and psychological dependence, alongside drugs like ketamine, anabolic steroids, and testosterone.
Dominic and Shelley Gillen's 23-year-old son Will suffers more than 75 seizures daily and has never spoken his first words.
"I believe that there's the opportunity at some point with cannabis to unlock that communication piece and for us to be able to hear him say mom for the very first time," Dominic Gillen said. "This woman has never heard her son say mother, say mom, and it's sad."
Will began having seizures at just four months old. The family's dog Henry helps alert them when Will is about to have a seizure. The Gillens have spent 12 years advocating for medical marijuana, pushing for legislation, organizing petition drives and meeting with elected officials since Will was 11 years old.
"We're very encouraged, and we feel very positive about the step that's been taken," Shelley Gillen said.
But, aren't convinced it will change the opinions on Nebraska lawmakers who are against medical cannabis.
"And here's another situation where, regardless of the rescheduling, our guess is that they will continue to fight it and say that it's not, that they're, they're wrong. It's kind of crazy if you look at the picture of the people standing behind President Trump when he signed the executive order today," Dominic Gillen said.
While Nebraska voters approved medical marijuana use in November, no dispensaries are currently operating in the state, and emergency regulations limit access. Crista Eggers, Executive Director of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, said the federal rescheduling doesn't immediately change Nebraska's medical cannabis landscape but marks important national progress.
"It doesn't change a lot for us at the state level, but ultimately from the advocates' standpoint, who have been pushing this for medical, medical use for so many years, we are excited that it will finally be studied," Eggers said.
The rescheduling removes a key argument used by opponents of medical marijuana programs.
"The opposition has been hiding behind, and kind of pointing to as their excuse for not implementing a program or not recognizing this as medicine, you know, that's gone away," Dominic Gillen said.
Governor Jim Pillen's office did not respond to requests for comment.
The Gillens said the federal action could help break stigma around medical cannabis and eventually lead to complete descheduling at the federal level.
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