Kansas Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee hears proponent testimony for medical marijuana
Article/Marijuana - 6 m
TOPEKA - The Kansas Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee met on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, to hear testimony for Senate Bill 135, the Medical Cannabis Regulation Act. This bill “would provide for the regulation of the cultivation, processing, distribution, sale, and use of medical cannabis.” The 78-page bill is a laundry list of restrictions including biannual licenses that cost as much as $20 per plant for cultivators, a laboratory license costing $36,000, a processor license being $180,000, and distributor and retail dispensary licenses being $80,000. Employees would also need licenses and background checks as well.
There were so many proponents and opponents speaking that the committee provided 40 minute hearings for each with 10 minutes for neutral testimonies. There were a total of 20 written-only proponents, with 11 oral proponents.
“We think this is a medical freedom issue,” CEO of Kansas Natural Remedies Samuel Jones said. “I don’t think that this issue has ever been more appropriate now than in the shadow of vaccine mandates where we are telling constituents that they have to abide by government rules in terms of what they take into their body. We think that constituents should have the freedom to choose whether or not to use medical cannabis.”
Jones also spoke on how legalizing medical marijuana is favorable on both sides of the political spectrum, highlighting the issues with alcohol compared to marijuana, why medical marijuana is not FDA approved, why medical marijuana would not lead to recreational marijuana, and how the prohibition of the drug does nothing but harm veterans, cancer patients, and people with chronic pain, before highlighting three studies on medical marijuana.
Mandy Sohosky of Paola, Kansas, who had recently been at the capitol to share her story during the “Medical Marijuana Day of Action” spoke next, again, sharing her story of how she lives her life in constant pain from her migraines and how her doctors resorted to prescribing opioids. She informed them that she tried marijuana in a state where it was legal a few months ago and the pain was gone. She asked the committee to legalize medical marijuana so she can focus on things that are important to her like raising her kids and making memories while her parents are still alive.
Jim Ricketts, a private citizen who has been coming to the capitol to speak in support of medical marijuana for the past ten years, spoke next. Suffering a spinal cord injury in 1975, he claimed he has “tried everything” with little avail and showed an x-ray of what his spine and throat look like after having major surgery.
“When they put me in the hospital—because I have muscle spasms—the first thing they do is start me on morphine,” Ricketts said. “And leave me for eight hours on morphine. Morphine doesn’t help me. It makes me hyper. I tell them all, it’s in my medical stuff, don’t give me morphine. Marijuana helps me at night to be able to relax and sleep. I have a hard time sleeping because I sleep in a hospital bed because of my injuries.”
Kansas Cannabis Coalition secretary Kimberly Krueger spoke about specifics and recommendations for the bill including Kansans should not have to wait an additional two years once legislation is approved as noted under Section 14—adoption of rules and regulations. For section 30, she recommended adding vaginal and anal suppositories, topicals and SAVS, nebulizers and inhalers for usage.
“Kansas legislators will fail their constituents if a medical cannabis program is not accessible and affordable to Kansas residents,” Krueger said, speaking on licensing fees in section 32. “Without access and affordability patients will be forced to utilize the illicit black market or go to a neighboring state, breaking federal law, to get medicine from a safer, closer, less expensive state. The fees are largely inflated. Research has shown us that high licensing fees equals increased black market action. High licensing fees also create a monopoly by the MSOs whose ultimate goal is to move us to a recreation or adult-use program as quickly as possible.”
Krueger finished speaking on the ten percent privilege tax in section 61, which would be an additional ten percent tax on top of local and state sales tax.
“In 2018, the Kansas legislature took an initial step to pass a marijuana law that enabled CBD to be sold in the state of Kansas,” said Former Senator and speaker for the Silver Haired Legislature Randall Hardy, representing over 670,000 Kansas seniors over the age of 60. “It is now time for the Kansas legislature to address the need for the expanded use of medical cannabis for Kansas seniors and really all citizens of the state.”
legislative committee chair for the Kansas Chiropractic Association Dr. Brian Asbury, who spoke representing over 1200 chiropractic doctors and their patients, Asbury asked for the bill to be amended so that chiropractic doctors would be able to write recommendations for medical marijuana as they already do for CBD and other natural supplements.
Addiction Councilor Melissa Lubbers listed off side effects of some of the most highly prescribed FDA approved medications that are used to treat anxiety, depression, PTSD, seizure disorders, migraines, chronic pain, and symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. She also listed off the side effects of cannabis, stating that when compared to those currently on the market it does not support the ongoing fear of cannabis as a viable option to medical treatment.
“It seems to me that even if this committee doesn’t want to recommend a Kansas cannabis bill, you have an obligation to the 70 percent of the folks in the state of Kansas who have affirmatively said they would like to see medical marijuana, to send it out without recommendation and put it on the Senate floor for debate,” Kansas Cannabis Industry Association representative, “Tuck” Duncan said. “Just as you may not like this particular topic, does not mean we should tuck it into a corner in a committee room.”
President of the Kansas Cannabis Chamber of Commerce Daniel Shafton spoke on the conflicting perspectives and reasoned on why arguments against medical marijuana are inaccurate.
Alejandro Rangel-Lopez spoke on how the “maximum number of Kansans” could benefit from the legislation. Specifically, he spoke on how high costs licenses and fees would not benefit all Kansans, and how to better alleviate the hardships faced by black and brown Kansans who have been hit hardest from the war on drugs.
“I crunched some numbers from Ford County, where I’m from, and for a three month period from November of last year to… the end of January there were 165 total arrests, around 17 of those were possession and marijuana charges,” Rangel-Lopez said. “These are folks my age. I recognize a lot of those names from elementary school—from high school. I graduated with a lot of them, and it’s heartbreaking because you know what’s going to happen. They get sucked into the criminal justice system and they end up in parole for years if not decades and it ruins their lives. And for what? I don’t think we have anything to show for the criminalization of marijuana.”
With about a minute left, Bryson Ripley of Shawnee County was the last proponent to speak, sharing how marijuana has helped him as a veteran who suffers from medical issues related to his service including anxiety, depression, and other issues.
Questions for proponents took place before ten minutes were provided for neutral testimony.
The hearing is to continue Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. where opponents will get to testify against the bill.
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