Weed advocates, opponents clash over legalization in Kansas ahead of 2025

TOPEKA (KSNT) - State leaders, politicians, advocates and more met under the Kansas statehouse dome Monday to present their cases for why or why not medical marijuana belongs in the Sunflower State.

Kansas senators and representatives held a special committee meeting on Oct. 28 to discuss the latest push to legalize medical marijuana ahead of the 2025 legislative session. They were joined by multiple other speakers who gave the gathered lawmakers their own perspectives on marijuana and whether or not it belongs in the state.

Speakers at the meeting included the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kansas, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), Office of the Kansas Attorney General, Kansas Bankers Association (KBA) and Kansans for Hemp and Planted Association of Kansas. A slew of other citizens also joined the discussion to express their concerns on the topic.

KBI Director Tony Mattivi took the stand early in the meeting, giving the gathered lawmakers the law enforcement perspective on medical marijuana. He said regulation of marijuana can increase black market sales, lead to an uptick in illegal cartel activities and lead to more fentanyl overdoses and deaths.

"At the end of the day, I submit to you that legalization doesn't do what the advocates say that it does," Mattivi said. "If we're trying to be compassionate to folks like veterans, to folks with terminal diseases. I believe our obligation is to trust the process and the process means you study it, you figure out what works and then you regulate it through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To me, attempts to legalize, whether it's by popular vote like happened in Oklahoma, or through legislative action, that's just circumventing the process."

Gary Hess, founder and executive director for the Veterans Alliance for Holistic Alternatives, made an argument for the legalization of marijuana in Kansas. He said marijuana is a safer alternative to other drugs and can offer relief to people who have served in the military or who are suffering from chronic pain.

"This is not a drug that leads to addiction, it is a medicine that saves lives," Hess said. "It is a medicine that saves lives. It offers a safer alternative to the highly addictive FDA-approved pharmaceuticals that we currently rely on."

Kelly VanZwoll, vice president of the KBA, took a neutral stance on the topic in testimony submitted to the committee members. VanZwoll highlighted that marijuana is still considered a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, despite recent moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

"The KBA does not have a formal stance on legalizing marijuana. However, we do acknowledge that the growing number of our surrounding states that allow its sale and use raises practical issues that should be addressed. The KBA is working with the American Bankers Association to encourage Congress and the regulatory agencies to provide greater legal clarity to banks operating in and around states where marijuana has been legalized for medical or recreational use."

The Kansas lawmakers present at the meeting wrapped up the discussion with the goal of producing a report to be shared with other members of the Legislature for the 2025 session. You can view online testimony submitted for this discussion by heading to the Kansas Legislature's website. To watch the full discussion on YouTube, click here.

The Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University also recently issued its Kansas Speaks Fall 2024 survey on Oct. 28. In it, the survey points to strong support for legalization of marijuana among Kansans. The Sunflower State remains one of only a handful which have yet to legalize marijuana.

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