Cannabis in Bellevue, Nebraska & Offutt AFB

Last verified: May 2026

Bellevue — Sarpy County

Bellevue is Sarpy County’s largest city, with a 2024 ACS population of 64,510. The city sits along the Missouri River south of Omaha. Sarpy County (population ~190,000) is one of Nebraska’s fastest-growing counties, driven by federal-installation employment and Omaha-metro spillover residential development.

Offutt Air Force Base

Offutt Air Force Base is one of the most strategically important U.S. Air Force installations:

• U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) — headquartered at Offutt. USSTRATCOM is the successor command to Cold War-era Strategic Air Command (SAC), responsible for U.S. nuclear deterrent operations, global strike, missile defense integration, and space operations coordination with U.S. Space Command.
• 55th Wing — reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering operations including the RC-135 fleet (Rivet Joint, Cobra Ball, Combat Sent), the OC-135 (Open Skies Treaty), and other specialized aircraft.
• Major intelligence functions — including SIGINT and intelligence-fusion operations supporting USSTRATCOM mission.
• National Airborne Operations Center — the E-4B "Nightwatch" fleet (the National Emergency Airborne Command Post) operates from Offutt.

Federal-Clearance Density

Offutt AFB’s nuclear-mission posture and USSTRATCOM clearance density make Bellevue / Sarpy County one of the most clearance-dense civilian residential areas in the United States. A substantial share of the working-age population in Bellevue and surrounding Sarpy County communities (Papillion, La Vista, Gretna, Springfield) hold:

• Active-duty U.S. Air Force or other military assignments.
• DOD civilian positions.
• Federal-contractor positions with specialized intelligence-services clearances.
• Federal-grant-recipient research positions.

Cannabis Categorically Incompatible

Cannabis use — medical or recreational — is categorically incompatible with virtually any Offutt-area federal role:

• Active-duty military: UCMJ Article 112a prohibits any cannabis use, including in legal-rec states.
• DOD civilians: Executive Order 12564 (Drug-Free Federal Workplace) and Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 require cannabis abstention; positive test = termination.
• Federal contractors: same EO 12564 / DFWA requirements.
• Security-clearance holders: SF-86 questionnaire requires disclosure of cannabis use; cannabis use within prior period (typically 1-7 years depending on clearance level) is grounds for clearance denial or revocation. Continuous-evaluation programs at TS/SCI levels can trigger reinvestigation on positive test or self-disclosure.
• USSTRATCOM nuclear-mission positions typically require Personnel Reliability Program (PRP) certification, which has additional drug-testing and reliability requirements above standard clearance.

The April 2026 Schedule III Rescheduling Does Not Change Federal Drug Testing

The April 28, 2026 DOJ Schedule III rescheduling (91 Fed. Reg. 22714) does not modify federal-employee drug-testing rules or security-clearance adjudication. EO 12564, the DFWA, and SF-86 / PRP frameworks remain in force. A federal employee or contractor at Offutt AFB testing positive for cannabis — even with a valid Nebraska I-437 patient recommendation — faces the same career-ending consequences as before April 2026.

Sen. Rick Holdcroft (R-Bellevue) — General Affairs Committee Chair

Sen. Rick Holdcroft (R-Bellevue, Senate District 36) chairs the Nebraska Legislature’s General Affairs Committee, which has primary cannabis-policy jurisdiction. Holdcroft has voted to advance medical-cannabis bills from committee while maintaining a generally restrictive personal posture. Holdcroft’s chairmanship has shaped:

• LB 677 (2025) committee passage with the "compromise" amendment.
• LB 1235 (2026) General Affairs Committee bill.
• LB 933 (2026) Cavanaugh physician-protection bill committee hearing.
• LB 934 (2026) Cavanaugh elected-commission proposal hearing.

Federal-Employee Privacy Considerations

Bellevue residents working in federal-clearance positions face heightened privacy considerations around cannabis-related browsing, communications, and medical records. Under continuous-evaluation programs (Trusted Workforce 2.0):

• Financial records, social-media activity, and certain public-records data are continuously monitored.
• Cannabis-related online activity may surface in clearance investigations.
• Self-disclosure obligations under SF-86 can be triggered by cannabis use.
• "Whole person" adjudication considers cannabis use over time.

Sarpy County Cannabis Reality

For non-federal-employee Sarpy County residents:

• State-law possession framework applies (1 oz first offense = $300 infraction; concentrate = Class IV felony).
• I-437 patient protections apply.
• Cross-border options to St. Joseph, MO via I-29 (~110 miles).
• Sarpy County diversion programs may apply for first-time offenders.

However, the federal-employer density means a large share of working-age Sarpy County residents are categorically excluded from cannabis use by their employment status.

The 2026 Election Cycle

Sen. Rick Holdcroft is not term-limited in 2026. The 2026 Nebraska legislative cycle will determine whether further medical-cannabis-implementation legislation advances; Holdcroft’s General Affairs Committee will remain a chokepoint.

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