Kansas GOP Considers ‘Controlled’ Medical Marijuana Pilot, Senate President Deterred By ‘Disaster in Oklahoma’
Kansas remains one of the last strongholds of cannabis prohibition, even though a 2023 poll revealed 79% of Kansans are in favor of medical marijuana access through medical providers, while 71% back decriminalization for personal use.
Despite the growing movement for cannabis legalization, a comprehensive medical marijuana bill that has yet to reach the Kansas governor’s desk is a non-starter for top Republican leaders in the Sunflower State, reported KSNT 27 News.
“I can tell you the bill that’s in our committees right now is a non-starter,” Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, said.
Why? Masterson named issues related to illegal cannabis operations that neighboring Oklahoma, where medical cannabis is legal, has been dealing with over the past year.
“Part of that is you’ve seen the disaster in Oklahoma… with cash transactions for land… you’re seeing a lot of gang activity,” he said.
Some of the challenges authorities in Oklahoma have been facing last year included cannabis farms that were linked to sex trafficking, prostitution and drug trafficking, as well as several …