The Kansas House has rejected legislation to legalize broad medical cannabis use, instead opting to advance a measure to legalize CBD products and remove kratom from the state list of illegal drugs, according to a KCUR report. The broad medical cannabis measure failed 54-69 in the House.
Kratom is a supplement made from a plant that grows in Southeast Asia and parts of Africa which some people use to try and wean themselves off opioids. The kratom amendment and the CBD amendment were not included in the version of the legislation advanced by the Senate. The chambers will need to hold a conference committee to come up with a compromise bill.
In January, the state Attorney General’s office issued an opinion declaring CBD illegal. Rep. John Barker tried to remove the CBD language from the bill, claiming that it would be easy to smuggle THC-containing products into the state along with CBD products and noted that CBD is still illegal under federal law; however, his bid was unsuccessful.
The House still needs to approve the final version of the bill before it would move to the conference committee and then to the Senate.