Despite the now-flourishing recreational marijuana market in Missouri, “thousands” of residents of neighboring Kansas have obtained medical marijuana patient registrations and are still actively making purchases from dispensaries, due in large part to Kansas’ ongoing prohibition of all types of cannabis.
There are roughly 2,200 Kansas residents with Missouri medical marijuana patient cards, the Kansas Reflector reported, citing data provided by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The data also comes on the heels of a victory last month for cannabis advocates in Nebraska, where voters approved medical legalization last month via two ballot measures. Once that state’s medical marijuana market launches, Kansas will literally be surrounded by states with legal cannabis available for residents: Colorado to the west, Oklahoma to the south, and Missouri to the east.
That reality – along with the steadily growing number of Kansans that favor legal marijuana – has state lawmakers contemplating another attempt in 2025 at legalizing medical marijuana, the Reflector reported, but a bill to do so appears to face an uphill battle. In October, a medical marijuana committee of lawmakers voted 5-4 to not recommend legalization and a bill to set up a medical marijuana market in the state was tabled in March.
That bill is slated to reappear in January for reconsideration by the legislature, meaning there will be a new opening for lawmakers if they change their minds.
“If we don’t come back to this in January, it will just die or get punted until next year,” retiring state lawmaker Dennis Highberger, a Democrat, told the Reflector.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is also a vocal supporter of medical marijuana.
“Legalizing medical marijuana would improve Kansas’ overall health and economy and help those who suffer from chronic pain and serious illnesses,” Grace Hoge, a spokeswoman for Kelly, told the Reflector.
Still, the Republican Party controls both chambers of the legislature, so any potential marijuana bill will be up to the GOP, not Kelly.
[[{“value”:”Kansas’ governor is a vocal supporter of medical cannabis, but the legislature is controlled by Republicans, who stand in opposition.
The post Report: Kansans registering as medical marijuana patients in Missouri appeared first on Green Market Report.”}]] Read More
