![](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-94.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Kansas senators on Wednesday held the first in a series of three planned committee hearings this week on a recently introduced medical marijuana legalization bill<\/a>, discussing the key provisions and taking testimony from advocates and stakeholders.<\/p>\n The hearing in the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee comes after\u00a0separate House-passed legislation stalled in the Senate<\/a> earlier this year. It also occurred on the same day that the House Federal and State Affairs Committee passed<\/a> a bill to set medical cannabis laboratory testing standards and rules in a 12-8 vote.<\/p>\n Sen. Robert Olson (R), who chairs the Senate panel, is sponsoring the new Medical Marijuana Regulation Act, which would provide patients diagnosed with a series of medical conditions with to access limited forms of cannabis.<\/p>\n A legislative staffer spent several minutes going point-by-point to describe what the bill would accomplish, taking several questions from committee members before the hearing was opened for public testimony.<\/p>\n Sam Jones, chief operating officer of the hemp cultivator business Kansas Natural Remedies, said he thinks \u201cnow\u2019s the time to legalize medical cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe think this is a tremendous opportunity for Kansas, Kansas businesses and Kansans to create a new industry\u2014one that will create an economic opportunity for the state and businesses that may never actually be involved in cannabis at all and for patients and give them the option to choose this product over other pharmaceuticals that could be more harmful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n SB 560<\/a> lists more than 20 qualifying conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson\u2019s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, and autoimmune disorders. It would also allow legal marijuana access for patients with \u201cany other chronic, debilitating or terminal condition that, in the professional judgment of a physician licensed in this state, would be a detriment to the patient\u2019s mental or physical health if left untreated.\u201d<\/p>\n Patients would be entitled to obtain a 30-day supply of medical cannabis products at a time. For dry flower marijuana, that purchase limit would be at least three ounces. But there would be an exception \u201cupon submission of a written certification from two independent physicians that there are compelling reasons for the patient or caregiver to purchase greater quantities of medical marijuana.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Patients\u2019 medical cannabis recommendations would be valid for 90 days, after which point a physician may \u201crenew the recommendation for not more than three additional periods of not more than 90 days each,\u201d the bill says. After that, another extension could be issued \u201conly upon a physical examination of the patient.\u201d<\/p>\n The House passed medicinal marijuana last legislative session. If the Senate passes it, KS is one step closer to joining the 21st century!<\/p>\n Medicinal marijuana is popular among Dems & Republicans in all areas of Kansas. It would bring tax revenue, help ill Kansans, & more. #ksleg<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/iLCSR54lhe<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kansas House Democrats (@KSHouseDems) March 16, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n A physician based in Missouri also testified at the hearing, saying that his goal is to \u201cget patients legal access to quality medications in the form of cannabis products.\u201d He emphasized the potential therapeutic benefits for the military veteran and chronic pain populations specifically, and he said providing patients with a regulated market would help mitigate the illicit market.<\/p>\n Multiple regulatory bodies would be in charge of administering the program. The state Department of Health and Environment, Board of Healing Arts, Board of Pharmacy and a renamed Alcohol and Cannabis Control division would each play a role in the regulations.<\/p>\n The legislation would also establish a medical marijuana advisory committee to help oversee the program and issue recommendations.<\/p>\n The bill calls for five different license types: cultivators, processors, laboratories, distributors and retailers. People would be rendered ineligible for a medical marijuana licenses if they\u2019ve been convicted of a felony, unless that conviction was expunged at least 10 years before the application is submitted.<\/p>\n Advocates are generally encouraged by the bill\u2019s introduction. They say that certain provisions represent an expansion of the previously House-passed legislation, in particular when it comes to the number of qualifying conditions.<\/p>\n Still, there would be no home cultivation option\u2014a policy that faced significant pushback in past sessions. And patients would not be allowed to smoke or vape marijuana products, even though \u201cplant material\u201d would be among the types of marijuana that could be dispensed by licensed businesses.<\/p>\n There would also be a 35 percent THC cap on marijuana plant material.<\/p>\n Counties would be able to enact local bans on permitting marijuana businesses from operating within their jurisdictions \u201cby adoption of a resolution,\u201d according to the text of the bill, which has not yet been posted on the legislature\u2019s website but which was obtained by Marijuana Moment.<\/p>\n Regulators would have until January 1, 2024 to promulgate rules for the program.<\/p>\n With respect to equity provisions, there does not appear to be an explicit pathway for expungements, nor licensing prioritization for people from communities most impacted by prohibition as advocates have pushed for in other states.<\/p>\n Separately, House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer (D) and Assistant Minority Leader Jason Probst (D) said in January that they will be introducing proposals to\u00a0let voters decide on legalizing medical and adult-use marijuana<\/a>\u00a0in the state. At the time, Sawyer said he was \u201chopeful\u201d that the legislature might separately advance the House-passed legalization measure.<\/p>\n Gov. Laura Kelly (D), for her part, wants to see medical cannabis legalization enacted, and she said earlier this year that she \u201cabsolutely\u201d thinks the bill could pass if \u201ceverything else doesn\u2019t take up all the oxygen.\u201d<\/p>\n She previously pushed a separate proposal that would\u00a0legalize medical cannabis and use the resulting revenue<\/a>\u00a0to support Medicaid expansion, with Rep. Brandon Woodard (D)\u00a0filing the measure on the governor\u2019s behalf<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kelly has she said she wants voters to put\u00a0pressure on their representatives to get the reform passed<\/a>.<\/p>\n The governor also said in 2020 that while she wouldn\u2019t personally advocate for adult-use legalization, she\u00a0wouldn\u2019t rule out signing the reform<\/a>\u00a0into law if a reform bill arrived on her desk.<\/p>\n Rhode Island Senate Committee Discusses Marijuana Legalization Bill, With Advocates Urging Equity Revision<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis \/\/ Side Pocket Images.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Kansas Senators Hold First Of Three Medical Marijuana Legalization Hearings In Committee<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Kansas senators on Wednesday held the first in a series of three planned committee hearings this week on a recently introduced medical marijuana legalization bill, discussing the key provisions and taking testimony from advocates and stakeholders. The hearing in the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee comes after\u00a0separate House-passed legislationContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":53601,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53600"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53600"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53602,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53600\/revisions\/53602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMarijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-93.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\nRead More: Kansas Senators Hold First Of Three Medical Marijuana Legalization Hearings In Committee<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"