TOPEKA — Republican members of the Kansas Senate crushed with a boot heel Friday an attempt to breathe life into legislation creating the state regulatory framework for cultivation, distribution and use of medical cannabis.

The Senate has been the stumbling block since the Kansas House approved a medical marijuana bill in 2021 that wasn’t allowed to come to a vote by Senate leadership.

In 2023, a bill was introduced in the Senate to make cannabis products available for medical use. Senate Bill 135 received two days of hearings in the 2023 session, but was idled by Senate Republicans.

Sen. Rob Olson, R-Olathe, offered a written motion calling for that bill to be withdrawn from the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee and transferred to the full Senate for possible debate and votes.

“Someday this is going to be law in this state,” Olson said. “I would like to put it into law with good boundaries, and this bill does that.”

The vote on pulling that bill forward was 12-25 failure. It was well short of 24 necessary to force a bill to the Senate floor. A separate vote would have been necessary to determine whether the Senate bypassed leadership’s opposition to formal debate on the medical marijuana bill left to collect dust for more than a year.

Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, said it was frustrating GOP lawmakers again stood in the way of legislation that would enable Kansas veterans and people with serious health conditions from attempting to benefit from legal consumption of marijuana products. The fate of Olson’s attempt to compel action on a medical marijuana bill confirmed political challenges confronting marijuana advocates, she said.

“Over the past three weeks, scores of Kansans have reached out to their senators voicing support for medical cannabis as they have done for nearly the past decade,” Holscher said. “Sadly, supporters have faced many hurdles on this important measure.”

In March, separate legislation was introduced in the Kansas Legislature that would allow medical marijuana sales through a multiyear pilot program. There was a Senate committee hearing on that bill, which was opposed by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies. The Kansas Cannabis Chamber of Commerce also criticized the pilot program concept.

Senators on that committee decided to table the measure, which effectively killed it. With days left in the 2024 session, the failed motion by Olson put an explanation point on another year of consternation for cannabis advocates.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has endorsed the concept of making medicinal sales legal in Kansas. She’s also said the state wasn’t ready for recreational sales. Kansas is bracketed by Colorado and Missouri — border states offering legal medicinal and recreational marijuana to consumers.

Oklahoma State softball coach Kenny Gajewski got both Big 12 wins Nos. 99 and 100 on Friday night at Cowgirl Stadium.

With inclement weather in the forecast for Saturday forcing a doubleheader Friday, the Cowgirls started their series against Kansas with two comeback wins in one evening. OSU won the first game 5-2 before beating the Jayhawks 6-5 to get Gajewski to the century mark in conference victories as a head coach. The pair of dubs also extended the Cowgirls’ winning streak to seven after sweeping Texas Tech last weekend.

The first victory came the easiest as Lexi Kilfoyl gave up only one earned run while pitching a complete game and striking out seven. KU scored an unearned run in the first before Kilfoyl allowed her only earned run the next inning. The Cowgirls responded with three runs in the bottom of the second, though, to take a lead they wouldn’t lose. All of OSU’s third-inning runs came from Lexi McDonald’s double down the right-field line with bases loaded.

The Cowgirls only scored again in the fifth. Micaela Wark singled in Karli Godwin first before McDonald tallied another RBI with a single that brought in Claire Timm. McDonald finished Game 1 2-for-3 with four RBIs.

OSU had to mount a more monumental comeback in Game 2 after KU shut down the Cowgirls before scoring five in the third to take a 5-0 lead. OSU didn’t plate a run until the fourth, where the Cowgirls scored three to spark the turnaround. Rosie Davis put OSU on the board with a single that scored Jilyen Poullard. Timm’s double down the left-field line then brought in Davis and Caroline Wang.

An inning later, the Cowgirls completed the comeback and took the lead after another three-run inning in the fifth. It took just one swing of the bat, though, as Godwin doubled with bases loaded to plate a trio of Cowgirls.

Kyra Aycock got the win in the circle after entering in that third inning where the Jayhawks scored five runs. Ivy Rosenberry gave up three runs but only one earned before Aycock came in with runners on first and second. Aycock then allowed a pair of runs in the inning before shutting down KU the rest of the way while striking out four.

Riding that seven-game winning streak, the Cowgirls could notch back-to-back Big 12 sweeps with a victory at 1 p.m. Sunday in Cowgirl Stadium.

The Dallas Cowboys selected Kansas State OG Cooper Beebe with the 73rd pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Beebe was a three-time first-team all-conference pick and two-time offensive lineman of the year by the league coaches and a consensus All-American as a senior in 2023. Here’s everything you need to know about Beebe.

Cooper Beebe scouting report

Beebe is a physically dominating blocker originally recruited as a 3-star DT but moved to offensive line as a true freshman in 2019 and appearing in three games. He was a first-team All-Big 12 pick by the coaches at left tackle as a redshirt sophomore in 2021 and conference offensive lineman of the year at left guard each of the past two seasons. He showed his versatility as a senior, starting all 13 games at left guard but also playing 106 snaps at right tackle and 20 at left tackle the first six games.

Beebe is considered an elite interior pass protector and overpowering run blocker. There is some concern about his lack of arm length and athleticism, though his measurables at the NFL Combine were solid.

Cooper Beebe height, weight

Beebe stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 322 lbs. He’s a Kansas City, Kansas native and attended Piper (Kan.) High School.

Cooper Beebe college stats

Beebe allowed just one sack in 2023, with five sacks allowed (four as redshirt freshman) in 1,448 career pass blocking opportunities.

Cooper Beebe highlights

Beebe’s most memorable play came late in the first half last season against Houston, when he destroyed a Cougar defender, putting him on his back as running back DJ Giddens to walk into the end zone. He delivered a similar pancake block against North Carolina State in the final minute of the Pop-Tarts Bowl, allowing quarterback Avery Johnson to pick up the game-clinching first down.

Cooper Beebe NFL combine measurables

Beebe helped ease concerns about his lack of athleticism at the combine with an impressive showing, ranking in the 79th percentile or better for his position group in all but one of the drills. His best performances were his 5.03 seconds in the 40-yard dash (93%) and 7.44 in the three-cone (92%), with a 10-9 broad jump (89%), 4.6 shuttle (80%) and 1.75 10-yard time (79%). His 27.5-inch vertical was just 48th percentile. His arm length was just 31 1/2 inches (9%).