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Bill proposes legalizing medical marijuana in Kansas

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Published: 2/04/2010 9:51 pm

Updated: 2/04/2010 11:12 pm

WICHITA, Kansas -- Its seems to be a controversy we weren't expecting this legislative session: marijuana.

As one lawmaker tries to ban a synthetic alternative, another is trying to legalize home grown pot for medical purposes.

Legalizing marijuana has ignited a hot debate across the country. Fourteen states already legalize it for medical purposes and now Wichita representative Gail Finney wants to add Kansas to the list.

"I also went through chemotherapy and I know what it feels like to be really, really sick and throwing up," rep. Gail Finney, a Democrat from Wichita told KSN. "And also with lupus the pain can be really excruciating sometimes."

Finney says she's never smoked pot but personal experience has made her sympathetic to those who do or want to to ease chronic pain.

"There are people that silently use marijuana for their pain and for their comfort and I don't think they should be pentalized for it," said Finney.

So she introduced a bill that would make marijuana legal with a doctor’s prescription.

The idea is not as far out as many may think.

Former Kansas attorney general Bob Stephan has been campaigning to legalize medical marijuana for years.

“When it comes to marijuana, it is treated like some voodoo medicine that should not be recommended by physicians I find this to be absurd," Stephan said back in 2007.

Still as Finney defended her bill, FDA agents raided the Lawrence store “Sacred Journey” known for selling K2, a legal synthetic marijuana.

KSN has learned investigators questioned employees about K2 and the recent outlawed salvia.

Earlier this week the house passed a bill that would outlaw K2. The senate has already passed a similar bill.

But a group out of Lawrence is fighting the ban with a radio campaign.

"Leave your fellow Kansans a legal way to fight pain," one ad says.

Many lawmakers however say they're unconvinced any type of marijuana helps with pain management.

The bill would also require all medical marijuana be grown in Kansas.

Finney admits the bill will be a long shot but she hopes at the very least it will educate lawmakers on what their constituents want.

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tdevilred - 12/9/2011 3:34 PM

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oh i forgot to say but there is always someone out there wanting to rule the world to the way they see fit cause they don't have enough to do and everyone in politics thinks they are GODS!!!!!!!!!!!!it serves us right if the calendars right next year cause i don't know how long we r supposed to sit around and do without everything so you people can have your thousand dollar birthday partys for your kids cause you get rich off all us people

tdevilred - 12/9/2011 3:30 PM

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considering our constitutional rights were wrote on paper made from marijuana i would say our four fathers were alot smarter then the uptight ace biting politicians we have now days maybe if people would realize just because you don't smoke it doesn't mean it's bad.and if i sat and smoked a joint how would that affect anyone else who doesn't smoke? if i don't want to wear a seatbelt the only person in danger from my decision is me ,,,come on there comes a point that at my age i really don't need anyone telling me what they think i should or shouldn't do.

leonarddoctork - 2/23/2011 1:52 PM

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When we advocate against Cannabis prohibition, we must stress not just the "denial of good" which it entails, such as the remarkable medicinal properties of the plant, its violence-suppressing potential, or its ability to induce calm and relaxed state which is "worlds apart" from the effects of alcohol and many "legal" prescription drugs. Cannabis Prohibition is an unadulterated evil, as it pushes the people to engage in a dangerous substance use, such as the stories with alcoholic caffeinated drinks just explicitly demonstrated. The cruelty and senselessness of the prohibitionists have also been made obvious recently, when an Oklahoma mom received 10-year sentence for $31worth of Cannabis, when the medicinal Cannabis providers and patients continue to be raided and harassed. What more evidence of political piracy can be presented than when the dogmatic "politicos" want to directly trample the Will of Montana voters with respect to Medicinal Cannabis, which Citizens lawfully enacted in their state, or when Las Vegas police and DEA continue to harass the Medicinal Cannabis establishments? To what level of hypocrisy and spiritual degradation can one descend when the medicinal Cannabis patients are persecuted in the city where alcohol abuse and compulsive gambling are rampant?! My only hope in the midst of all this prohibitionist outrage is that its collapse is philosophically inevitable. In particular, when the DEA and its allies blackmail politicians into voting against Medicinal Cannabis, they do so on the basis of an unreal "entity", the so-called "gateway drug" theory that is fully discredited by now as "half-baked"! How can our so-called "representatives" be talking about massive cuts in social programs when these same people continue to waste tens of millions of dollars on the so-called "marijuana enforcement" opposed by most of the country? The Cannabis prohibitionists are guilty of crimes against humanity, for which they will answer sooner or later!

StickFigure - 10/31/2010 2:02 AM

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The majority of negative side effects/damage are associated with the SMOKING of marijuana. When educating people they should also include the information based on internal consumption (tea, food, etc.). With internal consumption it acts as a mild muscle relaxer and anti-depressant without the side effects. All things in moderation of course. :D

lawarnce1 - 10/9/2010 5:31 PM

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I would rather see people smoking a little marijuana for pain management, rather than popping pain pills which in the end messes up your kidneys, liver, and other major organs, not to mention if you take one to many maybe death. How many people are o/d because they are taking to many pills, so yes legalize it for medical purposes at least it does not do as much damage as legal pain pills. Think about it.

doctorK - 3/17/2010 9:04 AM

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The opponents say that medical marijuana is "highly addictive" among other distortions. This is simply not true. How can it be "highly addictive" when it does not even have a documented physical withdrawal as opposed to most controlled substances and alcohol, while being highly effective for a wide variety of medical conditions ranging from pain control to muscle spasms to malnutrition, nausea and many others. But just to throw more light on this issue, there is such a thing as "addiction liability" of different substances in addiction medicine. Marijuana's addiction liability is 3%, compared with 10% for alcohol and 21% for opiates. The prestigious Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook, 4-th Edition states on page 267 that cannabis use suppresses, instead of inciting, the violent crime. The so-called "gateway drug" theory is by now completely discredited by science as a fiction. Anything, not just nicotine, alcohol or marijuana, but all the way down to caffeine and sugar, can be a "gateway". Don't listen to these "opponents", folks. They are the same people who screamed in the 70-s and 80-s that all the gay teachers should be fired, because otherwise "What will happen to our children???" These fear tactics are always the same, and when one is old enough to remember this becomes oh so clear.

vtxjtr - 3/1/2010 11:03 AM

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I think they should stop trying to legalize medicinal MJ and just legalize MJ. We know the side effects, anyone that uses it is aware of the side effects. And Sen. Scott Schwab seems to the all it does is "Make you crave another bag of chips"... AND HE IS AGAINST THE BILL! The problem here is the Sens, Reps and the folks that have a better name than us average folks do not want to represent the lighter side of MJ. I have been an MJ user for recreational and medicinal purposes for over 6 years. Could we get a GOOD legitimate answer to why MJ is illegal? We know how it came to be illegal BUT why is it still illegal? COME ON! With all of the issues our economy has you would think the ones in charge would want to help the growers of America earn their tax dollars. - Jesse, I represent the 80% that can still see daylight.

Jpalacio - 2/10/2010 8:53 PM

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I support this all the way, no only because i myself am a cannabis smoker but i also know many people who use it responsibly. One person in particular has cancer and can only deal with the pain of trying to walk when he smokes. People are always gonna abuse it though, just like alcohol and other things but the consequences of abusing pot are far less harmful than anything else. People who get caught with it without a prescription will still be in trouble, but the people who use it responsibly need to be able to do so without being look at and treated like criminals. This is a new generation of smokers, it isnt just a bunch of kids sitting on the couch for 4 hours doing nothing anymore. I use it to help me sleep, boost my appetite, help me clear my head when theres too much on my mind...the list goes on. Lets get this done so good people like you and me can live their lives without fear of being arrested and judged as criminals for using something harmless from the earth.

Ellin - 2/7/2010 9:12 PM

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I love the title "pharmaceutical cartel". Little do people know the pull that these real drug lords have on America's system of disease/treatment. We believe their lies, therefore we can't possibly live without their medications. Let's start thinking outside the box and looking at more natural remedies!

AngelNekoMeg - 2/7/2010 10:38 AM

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majorwest brings up a very good point, but there are also good arguments to having marijuana controled and regulated. Some want it medical only, so people with cancer (or other diseases) can eat and subside the pain enough to get out of bed in the morning. Others want it taxed (so the government can make money off of it) and grown to certain standards (to make sure extra, harmful ingreedients are not added). And still others, don't want anyone to have it.

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