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Kansas senators have shelved a bill to legalize medical marijuana<\/a> following a hearing that featured multiple opponents, including state law enforcement representatives.<\/p>\n Members of the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee voted on Thursday to table the legislation, which the panel itself is sponsoring. Following the action, Chairman Mike Thompson (R) said that lawmakers have \u201cbigger fish to fry,\u201d indicating that he\u2019s not interested in taking the proposal back up before the end of the 2023 session.<\/p>\n Officials with the Kansas Sheriffs Association, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics were among those who testified against the medical cannabis measure.<\/p>\n Opponents raised concerns about issues such as impaired driving, medical marijuana access in prisons and violent crime allegedly linked to cannabis.<\/p>\n The Oklahoma narcotics agent also argued that his state\u2019s vote against an adult-use legalization initiative at the ballot<\/a> last week reflected public concern with the existing medical cannabis program.<\/p>\n Stephen Howe, district attorney for Johnson County, alleged that the vast majority of murders and shootings that take place in Kansas are related to marijuana. He said that the legislation \u201creally deeply concerned me from a public health and public safety\u201d standpoint.<\/p>\n Sen. Rick Kloos (R), vice chair of the committee, said during Thursday\u2019s hearing that he was previously a proponent of medical marijuana reform but his perspective has shifted. He apologized to his family and constituents for being \u201cwrong\u201d about the issue in the past.<\/p>\n Lawmakers \u201chave to make these hard decisions because we hear the heartfelt testimonies, and yet we have to look at the facts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u2014 Thompson, chair of the committee, told reporters after the vote to table that there are many \u201cquestions that go unanswered\u201d with respect to the medical cannabis legislation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got bigger fish to fry at this point,\u201d he said<\/a>, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal. \u201cThis bill wasn\u2019t a serious bill to begin with.\u201d<\/p>\n Prior to the vote to table the bill, Sen. Chase Blasi (R) brought up an amendment that would have reduced the allowable THC potency in medical cannabis edibles\u2014but what was usurped by Sen. Alicia Straub\u2019s (R) intervention to shelve the legislation altogether.<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s hearing was the second that the committee held this week. Supporters and neutral parties, including representatives of state agencies, testified on the legislation on Wednesday<\/a>.<\/p>\n The panel also held two hearings featuring numerous opponents<\/a>\u00a0testifying on the general topic of marijuana reform earlier this month.<\/p>\n Thompson said that he felt it was important to dedicate meetings for the opposing perspective because supporters were given the chance to weigh in on an earlier version of the legislation\u00a0during a series of special committee hearings<\/a>\u00a0last year.<\/p>\n In 2021, a\u00a0medical cannabis bill passed the House<\/a>\u00a0but stalled out in the Senate.<\/p>\n Kansas House Democrats on Thursday tweeted a \u201cfriendly reminder the house passed medical marijuana already!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have just been waitin\u2019 on the senate to get it together,\u201d the minority caucus said.<\/p>\n friendly reminder the house passed medical marijuana already!!<\/p>\n we have just been waitin’ on the senate to get it together!!! #ksleg<\/a> #mmj<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/JE0nnRVKcO<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3AXkEGMKJz<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kansas House Democrats (@KSHouseDems) March 16, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Senate President Ty Masterson (R) previously said that he expected bills and hearings on the issue this year, and a spokesperson said that the senator understands that\u00a0perspectives are \u201cmaturing\u201d on medical marijuana<\/a>\u2014though the spokesperson also said the issue is \u201cnot a priority.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are the main components of the Kansas medical marijuana legalization\u00a0bill<\/a>, SB 135:<\/strong><\/p>\n Patients would be able to buy and possess up to a 30-day supply of cannabis (at least three ounces) from licensed dispensaries.<\/p>\n Smoking and vaping marijuana products would be prohibited.<\/p>\n Patients could receive a medical cannabis recommendation from a doctor for one of 21 conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain.<\/p>\n Regulators would be authorized to add conditions to the list, and the bill also lays out the process for people to petition for new qualifying conditions.<\/p>\n The penalty for possessing up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis would be reduced for people who aren\u2019t registered, making the offense punishable by a $400 fine if they provide a doctor\u2019s recommendation for medical marijuana.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a reciprocity section providing legal protections for people who are registered medical marijuana patients in other states.<\/p>\n The Health and Environment Department would be responsible for regulating the patient-facing aspects of the program, including issuing medical cannabis identification cards.<\/p>\n A Division of Alcohol and Cannabis Control would be tasked with overseeing the licensing of medical marijuana cultivation facilities, laboratories, processors, distributors and retailers.<\/p>\n A Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee would be established under the department to advise on the implementation and enforcement of the marijuana program.<\/p>\n Registration-related fines and fees would go into a Medical Cannabis Registration Fund, with those dollars supporting the costs of implementing the program.<\/p>\n Regulators would have until January 1, 2025 to adopt rules for registering patients, issuing medical cannabis cards, licensing businesses, defining what a 30-day supply of marijuana would be and more.<\/p>\n Medical marijuana products would be taxed at 10 percent.<\/p>\n After covering administrative costs for the program, tax revenue would go to a local medical cannabis enforcement fund (20 percent) and a statewide enforcement fund (10 percent, or up to $2.5 million per year). The rest would support the general fund.<\/p>\n Marijuana products could not exceed 35 percent THC for flower; 60 percent for tinctures, oils and concentrates; 3.5 grams for edibles and 10 milligrams for patches.<\/p>\n There would be a petition process for regulators to consider adding other approved methods of consumption to the program.<\/p>\n Licensing fines and fees would go to a \u201cMedical Cannabis Business Regulation Fund\u201d that supports \u201cpayment or reimbursement of costs related to the regulation and enforcement of the cultivation, testing, distributing, possession, processing and sale of medical cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n The legislation also authorizes the state to enter into intergovernmental agreements with Indian tribes to allow medical cannabis businesses within their territory.<\/p>\n In her annual\u00a0State of the State address in January<\/a>, Gov. Laura Kelly (D) said that there\u2019s a \u201ccommonsense way to improve health care here in Kansas\u2014and that\u2019s to finally legalize medical marijuana.\u201d<\/p>\n She cited a recent example of\u00a0a terminally ill man whose hospital room was raided<\/a>\u00a0by police and who was given a later-rescinded citation to appear in court over possession of a cannabis vape and extract that he was using to treat serious pain. That man has since passed away.<\/p>\n That story prompted a renewed call for reform from Kansas Democrats, who\u2019ve worked to advance medical marijuana legalization in recent sessions but haven\u2019t been able to get it enacted.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, members of the Special Committee on Medical Marijuana\u00a0held their final meeting in December<\/a>\u00a0as they worked to prepare legislation for the 2023 session.<\/p>\n The panel, which\u00a0toured a Missouri cannabis cultivation facility<\/a>\u00a0late last year as part of their work, went over the wide range of issues that they\u2019ve been discussing with officials and experts in recent months.<\/p>\n Further complicating efforts to enact reform this session is the fact that Sen. Robert Olsen (R), who put significant time into studying medical cannabis as a leader of the special panel, was replaced this session as chair of the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, which introduced this latest bill and has jurisdiction over it.<\/p>\n Also, Rep. John Barker (R), who worked on the issue as chair of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, lost his primary bid last year and is no longer in the legislature.<\/p>\n Then-House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer (D) and Assistant Minority Leader Jason Probst (D) said last year that they wanted to\u00a0let voters decide on legalizing medical and adult-use marijuana<\/a>\u00a0in the state.<\/p>\n The governor, for her part, 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 Following President Joe Biden\u2019s announcement on pardoning people who\u2019ve committed federal marijuana possession offenses and imploring governors to follow suit, Kelly said that her administration is \u201cfocused on legalizing medical marijuana<\/a>\u00a0so that Kansans with severe illnesses no longer have to suffer.<\/p>\n She added that they will \u201ccontinue to consider all clemency and pardon requests based on a complete and thorough review of the individual cases.\u201d<\/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 New Hampshire House Votes To Legalize Marijuana With No Regulations Or Limitations<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Kansas Senators Shelve Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill After Hearing From Law Enforcement Opponents<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Kansas senators have shelved a bill to legalize medical marijuana following a hearing that featured multiple opponents, including state law enforcement representatives. Members of the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee voted on Thursday to table the legislation, which the panel itself is sponsoring. Following the action, Chairman Mike ThompsonContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":62742,"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\/62741"}],"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=62741"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62743,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62741\/revisions\/62743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: Kansas Senators Shelve Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill After Hearing From Law Enforcement Opponents<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"