Kansas debate continues over medical marijuana legislation

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Multiple organizations opposing and supporting medical marijuana usage in Kansas stood in front of a special committee in Topeka on Wednesday.

Kansas is one of a handful of states that have not legalized medical marijuana. The legislature has stalled it from being made onto the floor multiple times. During the 2024 legislative session, senate republicans blocked the effort just before adjourning for the year.

At Tuesday’s special meeting, state agencies, law enforcement organizations, medical professionals, businesses, and advocacy groups stood in front of the committee and shared their connection to medical marijuana.

Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, Kansas Peace Officers Association, and Kansas Sheriffs Association all oppose medical marijuana. They all told the committee it would cost the state more than what it could earn.

Bel Aire Police Chief Darrel Atteberry with the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police said passing medical marijuana would end up with the legalization of recreational marijuana. Atteberry said it all started when the state legalized CBD, “The next year, it was, ‘No, we’re going to change that; we need THC in our CBD.’ And the incrementalism began.”

Meanwhile, Inga Seldres, the executive director of the Cannabis Justice Coalition- Kansas, said the state needs to do more than legalize marijuana. “Decriminalize it statewide, meaning no arrests, prison time, or criminal record for the possession of cannabis for personal consumption,” Seldres told the special committee on medical marijuana. “Additionally, we need to expunge the records of any non-violent cannabis offenses so that Kansans do not have a criminal record holding them back from employment and educational opportunities.”

Earlier this year, the DEA announced that it plans to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug; ultimately, weed could be used for medical use nationwide.

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