Efforts to legalize medical marijuana in Kansas are effectively dead for 2022, with the Senate main speaker conceding Monday that the reform will have to wait until next year to pass — but also said lawmakers will work over the summer to prepare a “near-completed product” for the project. A law that could be considered when the Legislative Council reconvenes early next year.
Monday marked the end of the legislative session. And while Democratic lawmakers made a final push to Enact medical cannabis legalization before deadlineChairman of the Senate Federal Affairs Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee Robert Olson (right) said in a press release that the “heavy burden” his committee has to bear on other issues means lawmakers will not “get that action across the finish line in this session.” .
“I am proud of what has been accomplished since the beginning of the session, but I am not convinced that we have been able to fully take into account the complexities presented by all the patients, potential experts (doctors, law enforcement, industry, etc.) Safe for substances that come from the hemp plant,” Olson said.
This represents a major setback for advocates and stakeholders. a The medical cannabis bill has already been approved in the House of Representatives last year, and A bicameral conference committee met last month to discuss a potential deal to get the procedure to the governor’s office, but negotiations ultimately did not come to fruition.
What this means is that the legislative effort to bring Kansas in line with the vast majority of states regarding medical cannabis policy will likely be put on hold until 2023.
Olson said he wants to “highly commend” his House Committee counterpart Representative John Parker (right) for his “energy and foresight to advance this effort and looks forward to doing significant summer temporary work… with the primary goal of kick-starting the 2023 legislative session in session.” With an almost complete product ready to be submitted to both Houses for consideration and approval.”
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Members of the Federal House and Senate and the Foreign Affairs Committee held two public meetings last month to discuss a way to integrate the House-passed medical marijuana bill with Separate which lawmakers in the Senate began to consider this year. In the last formal meeting, legislators from the House side went to the areas where they were willing to waive differences in the other chamber’s bill, as well as the clauses they wanted to keep from their own procedure.
In general, the two chambers’ proposals were more or less the same, and they shared several key provisions.
But to get closer to consensus, Parker said the body is willing to accept about a dozen elements of the Senate version, making clear where there can be compromise on others, and where the Chamber does not wish to budge.
The plan was to incorporate whatever language was agreed upon into separate and unrelated legislation vehicle which has already authorized both houses in order to speed up traffic. However, even if the two-chamber committee reached an agreement, the conference report would still need to be approved on the floor of each room in order to reach the governor’s office.
But that did not happen at the end of this year’s session.
The House of Representatives passed medical marijuana in the 2021 legislative session and is awaiting Senate cooperation to provide this economic endowment and provide relief to Kansas patients. frame is present; The conference committee should simply meet and pass legally #mmj.# explore
– Kansas House Democrats (@KSHouseDems) May 23 2022
Below is an overview of the main provisions where The Invoices From the House and Senate already overlapping:
Patients with more than 20 eligible conditions — including cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, and autoimmune disorders — would be eligible for medical cannabis.
Patients are entitled to a 30-day supply of medicinal cannabis products at a time.
Possession of up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana by someone who is not registered as a patient will be decriminalized, and will be punished with a maximum fine of $400.
Medical cannabis recommendations for patients will be valid for 90 days, after which the doctor can renew the recommendations for three additional periods. Then extensions may be allowed after a yearly physical examination of the patient.
Medical cannabis sales will be subject to a state sales tax of 5.75 percent, with the option to add a local tax.
Multiple regulatory bodies will be responsible for managing the programme. The state Department of Health and Environment, the Board of Therapeutic Arts, the Board of Pharmacy and the renamed Department of Alcohol and Cannabis Control will all play a role in the regulations.
The legislation would also create a medical marijuana advisory committee to help oversee the program and make recommendations.
The bill calls for five different types of licenses: growers, processors, laboratories, distributors and retailers. People will be made ineligible for medical marijuana licenses if they are convicted of a felony, unless that conviction is expunged at least 10 years prior to filing.
There will also be a 35 percent THC cap on the substance of the marijuana plant.
Counties will be able to enact local bans on allowing retail marijuana dealers to operate within their jurisdictions by adopting a resolution.
In terms of equity provisions, there does not appear to be a clear path to erasure.
Here are some of the changes the House said it was willing to accept from the Senate bill:
Return the date of entry into force of the law and the deadlines for its implementation.
Remove the cap of 70 percent of the THC on the cannabis concentrate.
Out-of-state patients will have reciprocity to own and purchase marijuana if they are registered in their state.
Prevent discrimination in real estate transactions for renting or selling real estate to registered medical marijuana patients.
Keep the Senate license application requirements, licensing terms, and rules regarding where the cannabis business may operate.
Require certain security measures in medical marijuana companies.
Requiring the state to enter into agreements with tribal governments for the exchange of cannabis.
Doctors would not have to start prescribing rather than recommending medical marijuana if the federal government reclassified cannabis.
Here are some of the areas in which the House of Representatives insisted on its version, or offered a compromise:
Maintaining most of the list of conditions eligible for medical marijuana, which includes more than 20 diseases, but maintaining its limited language and glaucoma removal.
Allow people to obtain commercial licenses for medical marijuana after at least three years of residence in Kansas. The original House bill called for four years, while the Senate had two.
Allow regulators to create a unique system for the payment process for the sale of cannabis in coordination with the state treasurer.
Retaining a $500 licensing fee for employees associated with medical marijuana businesses, while lowering fees for other types of employees.
Maintain state and local licensing eligibility requirements as stated in the House bill.
There were some additional outstanding items that members had not fully resolved as of last month’s meeting and said they needed additional time to work. These issues relate to advertising requirements, planting facility rules, licensing fees, the creation of a medical cannabis pilot program and employment discrimination.
After briefing his House counterpart on the list of items and proposals at the April hearing, Olson indicated that members would return to leadership to see where the two chambers could come to an agreement and then “discuss this at a later date” at the conference.
House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer (D) and Assistant Minority Leader Jason Probst (D) said in January that they want Allowing voters to decide whether to legalize marijuana for medical purposes and adult use in the state.
For her part, Governor Laura Kelly (D-D) wants to see the enactment of medical cannabis legalization, and said earlier this year that she “absolutely” believed the bill could be passed if “everything else doesn’t consume all the oxygen.”
I have previously pushed a separate proposal that would Legalization of medical cannabis and the use of the revenue generated To support Medicaid expansion, with Rep. Brandon Woodard (D) File a lawsuit on behalf of the governor.
Kelly said she wanted voters to put Putting pressure on their representatives to pass the reform.
The governor also said in 2020 that although she would not personally advocate the legalization of adult use will not rule out signing the reform to become law if a reform bill arrives on her desk.
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