State lawmakers in Kansas met to debate legalizing medical marijuana final week, with plans to introduce a invoice when the legislature reconvenes subsequent yr. The try to legalize hashish for medicinal functions follows an unsuccessful try final yr, when a invoice was handed by the Kansas Home of Representatives however failed to realize the approval of the state Senate.
Final week, at a gathering of the 2022 Particular Committee on Medical Marijuana, the chair of the panel, Republican Senator Rob Olson, stated that he plans to introduce a invoice to legalize medical marijuana initially of the January legislative session.
“I feel what I’m going to do is — and any member is greater than welcome — is to take this info and create the invoice,” Olson said on the committee assembly on December 9. “And I’m going to work on a invoice with a pair members after which if anyone desires to signal on within the Senate, they’ll be greater than capable of signal onto that invoice, and introduce it initially of session.”
Olson additionally inspired his fellow state lawmakers to introduce comparable laws for legislators to debate once they return to the state capital subsequent yr. The Kansas state legislature is at present adjourned and can reconvene on January 9, 2023.
“I feel that’s most likely the easiest way ahead,” Olson stated.
Neighborhood Members Voice Views On Medical Pot
Members of the group attended the committee assembly, together with a bunch of individuals against medical marijuana legalization who expressed their views by sporting stickers studying “Kansas says ‘No.’” People had been additionally given the chance to talk both for or towards legalizing medical marijuana, together with Wichita State College senior Laura Cunningham. The coed, who attended the committee assembly as a part of a faculty project, advised the members of the particular legislative panel that she helps legalizing the medicinal use of hashish.
“I really feel like lots of people who do smoke marijuana are very productive members of society, and really operate higher due to it. I feel lots of people have discovered this stability that’s acceptable for them as a person, and that’s what actually issues,” Cunningham stated. “I don’t suppose that legalizing marijuana goes to essentially trigger this enormous inflow of individuals not having the motivation to take part in society.”
In the course of the assembly, the committee members got summaries of subjects related to medical marijuana legalization, together with product labeling and packaging, medicinal hashish possession limits, taxation and allowing entry to medical hashish for incarcerated people. Mike Heim, a employees member within the Workplace of Revisor of Statutes, gave an summary of the knowledge as a part of a presentation to the legislative committee.
“You’ve had eight state businesses go to with you, you’ve had 9 or 10 analysis memos by the legislative analysis division, you’ve had over 60 conferees which have testified in two days earlier than this committee and you’ve got reviewed a few payments that had been alive final session and so forth,” Heim stated. “In different phrases, you’ve been inundated with info.”
Kansas Medical Marijuana Payments Failed Final 12 months
Final yr, the Kansas Home of Representatives handed laws to legalize medical marijuana, Senate Invoice 158, however the measure was killed in a Senate committee solely weeks later. One other invoice to legalize the medicinal use of hashish, Senate Invoice 560, additionally failed to realize a Senate committee’s approval to advance to a ground vote. Democratic Senator Cindy Holscher stated that she hopes a medical marijuana legalization invoice will cross the Senate this time, though she reminded her colleagues of the failure of Senate management to assist the laws.
“The entire difficulty is final yr, we had a really sturdy invoice that handed the Home, and Senate President Ty Masterson wouldn’t enable it to maneuver ahead,” Holscher stated. “So I do know there are completely different events who’ve been reaching out to him to remind him of how essential a difficulty that is to a whole lot of completely different individuals. So time will inform.”