As of 2024, Kansas remains one of just a handful of states yet to legalize medical marijuana in any form. While 39 states have established comprehensive medical marijuana programs, and three others have more limited low-THC/CBD laws, Kansas continues to prohibit all uses of marijuana - even for qualified patients suffering from debilitating conditions.
This hardline stance has forced some desperate families to uproot and move across state lines to access legal medical marijuana products. For many more patients stuck in Kansas, their only option is to break the law and seek marijuana on the unregulated black market.
With the tides of public opinion rapidly shifting, and neighboring conservative states like Oklahoma and Missouri acting, the pressure is mounting for Kansas to get on the right side of this issue in 2024.
Public Support for Medical Marijuana
Polls consistently show that a supermajority of Americans support legalizing medical marijuana, including 67% of Kansans according to a recent Fort Hays State University survey. The people are ahead of the politicians on this compassionate issue.
Frustrated by legislative inaction, a new bipartisan Cannabis Justice Coalition has formed to leverage this public support. The group, comprised of lawyers, medical professionals, city council members and more, aims to educate voters on the benefits of medical marijuana and boost pro-reform candidates in the 2024 elections.
As coalition founder Inga Selders stated, "Despite a majority of Kansans wanting recreational marijuana fully legalized in Kansas, most of our state legislators aren't listening to the constituents and have turned marijuana reform into a partisan issue, when in fact it isn't."
Federal Shift on Marijuana
Adding even more momentum for Kansas to get with the program are major developments happening at the federal level. In 2024, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recommended reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III substance, a major departure from its current status as a strictly prohibited Schedule I drug.
This shift officially recognizes the legitimate medical applications of marijuana and will ease research restrictions nationwide. As former U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom noted, this should prompt "research to better understand the medical potential and drawbacks of cannabis."
Many marijuana advocates argue the federal government should go even further and deschedule marijuana entirely. But even rescheduling to Schedule III would force holdout states like Kansas to reassess their total prohibition stance.
The Benefits of Medical Marijuana
For patients dealing with severe or chronic conditions, medical marijuana can provide much needed relief with far fewer side effects than many conventional pharmaceutical drugs. The marijuana plant has been shown to help:
Reduce nausea and stimulate appetite in cancer patients
Relieve muscle spasms and pain in multiple sclerosis and other conditions
Control seizures in drug-resistant epilepsy
Ease chronic pain and inflammation
Improve sleep and reduce insomnia
Manage PTSD symptoms
And much more
When opioid painkillers, sleep medications, chemotherapy drugs and other pharmaceuticals come with risks of addiction, organ damage, and other serious side effects, medical marijuana offers a natural alternative for many patients.
Why You Need a Medical Card
While a small number of states have legalized recreational adult-use marijuana, most markets remain medical only. To legally obtain and possess medical marijuana, patients must go through the process of being certified and issued a state legal medical card.
Getting approved typically requires being diagnosed with an approved qualifying condition and receiving an official recommendation from a licensed physician. With a valid ID card, patients gain legal protections for possessing, purchasing, and in some cases even cultivating limited amounts of medical marijuana.
For the many Kansas families forced into unsanctioned channels to access these life changing medicines, a state-regulated program with ID cards would provide safety, quality control, and peace of mind.
Kansas Shouldn't Be Left Behind
Marijuana's medical legitimacy is gaining recognition across America at a rapid pace. Major institutions like the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians have issued policies supporting medical marijuana programs. Nationwide, 73% of voters want legal access for qualifying patients. 39 states and territories have answered this call. Will Kansas remain among the small handful of holdouts in 2024?
By passing a comprehensive medical marijuana law in the 2024 legislative session, Kansas lawmakers would grant relief to thousands of citizens while aligning with the emerging realities around marijuana policy. Medical marijuana is now the mainstream position, and Kansas' continuing ban is now the outlier.
The people have spoken. The time has come for the Sunflower State to embrace medical marijuana before falling even further behind on this issue. Patients and their families should no longer be denied access to these potentially life changing natural medicines.
Get Ready for Medical Marijuana
You have to wait for the Kansas lawmakers to finally pass a medical marijuana law before you can buy medicine, but you might not have to wait long.
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