Medical marijuana bill finally gets long awaited hearing

In 2010, Rep. Gail Finney (D-Wichita), who suffers from lupus, introduced Kansas’ first medical marijuana bill. The bill only received an informational hearing in the House Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee. Activists were excited to see the bill reintroduced in 2011, in hopes that they could get the official hearing patients in Kansas deserve. Unfortunately, the bill languished in committee with no hearing for a full year. Hope springs eternal, though, and it looks like 2012 will finally be the year medical marijuana is taken seriously in Kansas.

The HHS Committee, chaired by Rep. Brenda Landwehr, will finally hear Kansas' medical marijuana bill, HB 2330, on January 24. Local groups like the Kansas Medical Cannabis Network are to be congratulated for their perseverance and tireless work in securing this hearing.

If you or someone you know could benefit from medical marijuana and would like to speak at the hearing in Topeka, please let me know. Also, if you're a doctor, patient, law enforcement officer, or clergy member, please send an email to driffle@mpp.org to find out how you can be particularly influential in informing Kansas' legislators.

If you're not able to make the hearing but would like to hear how it goes, subscribe to our free email alerts to stay up to date on the latest news and information about marijuana policy reform in Kansas.

Marijuana Laws in Kansas

Kansas has perhaps the most draconian marijuana laws in the country. Possession of any amount of marijuana — even a single gram — can land you in prison for up to a year, as well as a $1,000 fine. If you're caught with marijuana again, you could be convicted of a felony and face up to three and a half years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Of course, despite harsh penalties, increasing arrest rates, and hundreds of thousands of families affected, marijuana use has actually gone up 1.74% in Kansas over the last four years. Perhaps it's time for a different approach.

You can read more about the negative consequences of Kansas' harsh marijuana laws by reading Jon Gettman, Ph.D.'s Kansas-specific report.

Stay Informed

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project and all of our allies. If you have any questions concerning the status of marijuana policy reform in Kansas, you can contact us by email at state@mpp.org.

To receive news about Kansas marijuana policy reform as it happens, be sure to subscribe to MPP's free legislative alert service, if you haven't done so already.