Legislative Update: Kansas Marijuana Legalization Bills

The following is the bill status on marijuana related bills as of 3/5/17:

• The priority issue: Medical Marijuana: SB155 would create legalization of medical marijuana through head shop sales and a state licensing system. Our position on medical marijuana has been to support research and when indicated to be effective offer it only through established physician/pharmacy processes. I have attached a copy of our testimony which includes several pages of attachments showing data from Colorado after the passed their medical marijuana provisions and prior to full legalization. I also have a list of impacts on drug enforcement in general in that testimony. The bill has had a hearing and news reports indicate the chair is considering whether or not to bring it to a vote in the committee to consider passing it to the full Senate.
  You can read the bill at this link.
  You can see the bill history at this link.
  The only bill brief available at this time is contained in the fiscal note.
  You can read the fiscal note at this link.
  Here is a link to some of the opposing testimony:
  KACP-KPOA-KSA 
  KBI  
  Eric Voth              Attachment  
  The following are some talking points:
• Some additional points include:
  1. THC related pharmaceutical drugs are already available through established physician/pharmacy processes.
  2. A pharmaceutical company, GW Pharmaceuticals, is on track to have CBD oil for seizure treatment available through the current physician/pharmacy process around the end of the year.
  3. The Veterans Administration has undertaken a detailed study of the effects of marijuana for PTSD patients. No study of marijuana use for veterans with PTSD has been conducted. The studies to date, not centered on veterans, were found to be inconclusive with some people reporting improvement while many reported it made their conditions worse. The VA has published their views of marijuana use by PTSD patients. From that document: “. . .controlled studies have not been conducted to evaluate the safety or effectiveness of medical marijuana for PTSD. Thus, there is no evidence at this time that marijuana is an effective treatment for PTSD. In fact, research suggests that marijuana can be harmful to individuals with PTSD.”
  4. And, three states (Minnesota, New York and Connecticut) are allowing established pharmacies, not head shops, to be the dispensary mechanism.
  5. Some of the revelations from the Colorado experience when medical marijuana was legalized and prior to full legalization include:
  • Drug related K-12 school suspensions went up 41.3% following a steady four year decline prior to medical marijuana legalization.
  • Positive tests in high school students tested as a result of behavior issues increased by 13 percentage points from 44% to 57%.
  • The number of children ages 0-5 reported to poison control centers for exposure to marijuana tripled. Children ages 6-17 nearly doubled.
  • In 2012, Kansas was third lowest of all states and DC for past month marijuana use by children ages 12-17. Of the 20 states with the highest usage rates, 19 had legalized medical marijuana. Only three of the remaining states had legalized medical marijuana.
  • Medical treatment for marijuana ingestion by children under age 12 tripled.
  • The number of patients with marijuana related hospitalization increased from 4696 in 2009 to 8078 in 2013 a 72% increase.
  • Percentage of drivers involved in fatal motor vehicle accident testing positive for marijuana.
  • The motor vehicle fatalities involving at least one driver testing positive for marijuana more than doubled, from 7.85% to 16.53%, while total highway deaths decreased.
• Two other bills related to marijuana legalization are also in the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee but have not had a hearing. They are:
  SB151 Eliminating criminal penalties and licensure sanctions for "non-intoxicating" cannabinoid medicines.  
  SB178 Proposes allowing dispensing of marijuana through existing pharmaceutical methods with a physicians prescription.  
• A bill in the House that was exempted from deadlines is HB2152. THIS IS ONE THAT BEARS WATCHING although no hearing has been scheduled yet. HB2152 legalizes "hemp" and hemp products. Read the bill at this link.  
  See the bill history of HB2152 at this link.
  The only bill summary available is in the fiscal note at this link.
• The following bills are no longer eligible for hearings this year:
  SB187 "The Safe Act" This is a bill for full legalization of marijuana.  
  HB2029 A bill to legalize medical use of CBD oils if it is approved by the federal authorities for such use.