At the end of the 2021 regular session, the Kansas House passed SB 158. This bill would create the Kansas Medical Marijuana Regulation Act to legalize medical cannabis for qualifying patients. After it passed the House, SB 158 moved to the Senate for discussion. However, AB 158 stalled as the regular session came to an end. 

Then, at the beginning of the 2022 regular session, the Kansas Senate had a chance to continue discussion on SB 158 into the new session. The Senate failed to do so, so SB 158 died at the end of January 2022. 

Now, a new medical cannabis legalization and regulation bill saw introduction into the Kansas Senate. The bill, which hasn’t officially been assigned a number yet, comes from Senator Robert Olson, R, who chairs the Senate Federal and State Affairs committee.

Medical Cannabis Bill Details

Under Senator Olson’s new medical cannabis bill, around twenty conditions qualify for a medical cannabis recommendation card, including:

• Cancer
• Glaucoma
• MS
• Parkinson’s
• PTSD
• Autoimmune disorders

Additionally, doctors can recommend medical cannabis for “any other chronic, debilitating, or terminal condition” where the patient would suffer if their condition would go untreated. This is a significant expansion to SB 158 the House passed.

Patients with medical cannabis recommendations can purchase a 30 day supply at a time. A dry cannabis flower limit of three ounces would apply to each purchase. These medical cannabis recommendations are valid for 90 days. Physicians can renew a recommendation up to three more times for 90 days each. After that, patients will need to have a physical exam to receive any more medical cannabis recommendations. 

The Kansas medical cannabis program would be run equally by four separate entities: Department of Health, Board of Healing Arts, Board of Pharmacy, and the renamed Alcohol and Cannabis Control Division. Anyone applying for a medical cannabis license must have a clean record – no past felony charges unless expunged more than 10 years ago. Home growth would not be an option for patients. 

Activists Response to New Bill

Several activists and organizations have expressed excitement over this new bill in the Senate after they failed to continue discussion on SB 158. The Kansas Cannabis Business Association (KSCBA) spoke about the new bill and what it means for the cannabis future of Kansas. 

The organization’s CEO, Erin Montroy, said, “This is one of the best days that we’ve had working on reform in three years. What we’ve seen here is so encouraging because it has been a true representation of democracy. This is how the government is supposed to work. This is how things are supposed to be done.” 

Additionally, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, D, has shown support for medical cannabis legalization. Last year, Governor Kelly pushed for medical cannabis legalization as a way to help the state’s economy and shrinking population. “Margo Hellman, 24, left for a bigger city,” the governor said to a group of business leaders and lawmakers in 2021. “She moved to Los Angeles after graduation where she’s now working in the cannabis industry — an opportunity she wouldn’t have in Kansas.”

Future of Kansas Medical Cannabis

This new medical cannabis legalization bill has a long way to go during the 2022 regular session, which is set to end on April 8. It’s first stop is the Senate Federal and State Affairs committee, which is chaired by the bill’s sponsor, Senator Olson. The bill must pass a full Senate chamber vote before it moves to the House for further discussion in committees. If the bill makes it out of committee discussion, then it will move to a full House vote. 

Should the bill pass both the House and the Senate, then it will move to Governor Kelly’s desk. She has previously indicated she would willingly sign a medical cannabis legalization bill to help the people of Kansas. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest.

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