I’m in utter amazement as we continue to discuss passing a medical cannabis bill… The same rhetoric is coming from both opponents and legislators. This little island .” is just like us.
By Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
Delaney Jones’ grandmother, who survived the concentration camps of Europe during World War II and was a Holocaust survivor, had a cancerous condition that spread quickly, was detected late and carried a poor outlook.
Jones stated, “She developed pancreatic cancer in her late years.” “She said that nothing she experienced in the camps was as painful as this.”
She suffered from cancer, and the side effects of pain medication. But relief seemed to be out of reach. She found relief in cannabis oil that contained THC, not legal in Kansas, but available in other states for palliative care or recreational use.
It helped her to get rid of pain, nausea and fatigue. It didn’t have the side-effects of opiate drugs. “We were super, super thankful to see the magic work marijuana did at her end of life care,” Jones said.
Jones, a graduate of Wichita State University was part a roundtable Tuesday on the campaign to convince Kansas lawmakers to pass a medical marijuana bill in 2024. 38 states, including the District of Columbia, and three U.S. Territories, have legalized the medicinal use of cannabis. However, the Kansas Senate and Kansas House are yet to reach an agreement on the next steps.
Due to the poor driving conditions, the planned day of action with the Kansas Cannabis Coalition Loud Light and ACLU of Kansas at the Capitol was changed to an online format.
Cheryl Kumberg is a registered nurse who is the president of Kansas Cannabis Coalition. She said that she had assumed it would take a few months for the Legislature to finish work on a medical cannabis bill. She said that was five years back, and Republican legislators have worked together to slow down progress.
Kumberg stated, “I am here with open mouthed amazement at the fact that we still discuss passing a medical cannabis bill.” “These are the same excuses that we’ve heard for all these years. Same rhetoric from both opponents and legislators. “We’re like this small island.”
Kelly Rippel is the cofounder of Kansans for Hemp, a part of Kansas Cannabis Coalition. She warned Kansas to be cautious of cities that create a patchwork ordinances decriminalizing marijuana possession. He warned Kansas to be cautious about de facto legalization in communities where the costs of enforcement outweighed the benefits.
We’ll just have to use our unwritten laws and rules or understandings that we don’t prosecute marijuana. This leads to inconsistent enforcement not only within communities but also by district attorneys. Rippel stated that we need to have a law in place which says “We will not criminalize this for personal possession.”
He said Kansas legislators should focus on expungements of convictions and sealing criminal records relating to marijuana convictions.
Latanya G. Goodloe is the executive director of Ladies That Lean, a Kansas City-based organization. She was convicted for possession of marijuana and intent to sell, and spent four years behind bars. She had completed the requirements for parole in 2009 but continued to face criminal justice consequences as a felon.
She stated that the debate over medical marijuana included racial justice and economic justice. She said that legislation in Kansas that moves the state towards legalization must create fairness on the market and acknowledge the damage done to marginalized communities in the war against drugs.
She said, “No monopoly.” “Participating the public and implementing sustainable regulations is key to creating a system that addresses health concerns as well as economic considerations.” We have no reason at this time to keep marijuana off the table.
Sharon Brett, the legal director of ACLU of Kansas said that state government opposition to the legal distribution of medicinal cannabis interfered in Kansans’ personal health care decisions and was at odds with polling which showed a statewide support for medical marijuana reform. She said that there were parallels between the actions taken by state legislators in Kansas to prohibit abortion services and their ongoing efforts to criminalize marijuana use.
She was referring to the rejection in August 2022 by Kansas voters of a proposed amendment to Kansas Constitution which would have declared that there was no state Bill of Rights granting woman bodily autonomy or the right to terminate a pregnancy.
In the meantime, the House has passed a 2021 medical marijuana bill, but the Senate ignored it. Kansas’ governor has not signed a comprehensive medical marijuana law.
Brett stated that elected officials in both areas should recognize the public sentiment documented by polling and at the ballot box.
Brett stated that “the refusal of the Legislature in legalizing medical marijuana is essentially the Legislature inserting themselves into medical decisions which should be made by a patient and his doctor.” This policy choice is all about freedom and autonomy. It’s about who gets to make important medical decisions — you and your doctors, or politicians in Topeka?
This article was originally published by Kansas Reflector.
The GOP Kansas Senate president is ‘open’ to limited medical marijuana for seriously ill patients while dismissing public support for legalization
Photo by Philip Steffan.
The article Kansas Medical Marijuana Activism Steps Up Push for Lawmakers to Legalize Patient Access first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
