The debate in Kansas over medical marijuana legislation continues

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Several organizations that oppose and support medical marijuana use in Kansas faced a special committee in Topeka on Wednesday.

Kansas is one of the few states that has not legalized medical marijuana. The legislature has prevented publication several times. During the 2024 legislative session, Senate Republicans blocked the effort just before it adjourned for the year.

At Tuesday’s special meeting, state agencies, law enforcement, medical professionals, businesses and advocacy groups stood before the committee and spoke about their connection to medical marijuana.

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

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

Meanwhile, Inga Seldres, executive director of the Cannabis Justice Coalition-Kansas, said the state needs to do more than legalize marijuana. “Decriminalize it nationwide, meaning no arrests, jail time or criminal record for possession of cannabis for personal use,” Seldres told the Special Committee on Medical Marijuana. “In addition, we must expunge the records of all non-violent cannabis offenses so that Kansans do not have criminal records that prevent them from employment and educational opportunities.”

Earlier this year, the DEA announced that it was reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug; Ultimately, weed could be used for medicinal purposes across the country.

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