The Kansas House of Representatives passed a bill last week to soften penalties for marijuana possession, allow for the study of hemp cultivation, and authorize some medical marijuana use in the treatment of seizures.
HB 2049 passed the House by 81 to 36 on an “Emergency Final Action” vote, which eliminated the need for further debate before the bill continued to the Senate.
The bill would make first-time possession offenders subject to a Class B instead of a Class A misdemeanor, thereby reducing maximum jail times to six months from a year and the maximum fine to $1,000 from $2,500.
The bill was amended to allow access to medical marijuana for seizure patients. Proposed by Rep. John Wilson (D.-Lawrence), the amendment would authorize certain facilities to grow low-THC strains, produce oils from it, and to distribute the oils to card-carrying patients.
The bill is now being debated in the Senate.
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Photo Credit: Mike Linksvayer