What’s next for marijuana in Kansas?

HAVE BEEN OPEN FOR A LITTLE MORE THAN A MONTH NOW IN MISSOURI. AND THE NUMBERS SHOW THIS BUDDING BUSINESS IS BOOMING. DISPENSARIES IN MISSOURI SOLD $102.9 MILLION WORTH OF WEED LAST MONTH. 70% OF THAT WAS RECREATIONAL. AND SALES ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO GROW AS MORE PRODUCTS COME TO MARKET. SO MISSOURI IS MAKING MONEY, WHILE OTHER STATES ARE ACTUALLY SHUTTING DOWN PLANS TO OPEN THAT REVENUE STREAM. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE EXPECTING IT TO PASS THIS PAST WEEK. OKLAHOMA VOTERS SOUNDLY REJECTED LEGALIZED RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA. SUPPORTERS SAY IT’S A MISSED OPPORTUNITY TO RACK UP NEARLY $2 BILLION IN TAX REVENUE IN THE FIRST FOUR YEARS. SEVERAL RELIGIOUSLY EATERS, PROSECUTORS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS OPPOSE THE MEASURE. BY THE WAY, MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS ALREADY LEGAL IN OKLAHOMA. IT IS NOT IN NEIGHBORING KANSAS, WHERE HAVING ANY FORM OF MARIJUANA IS AGAINST THE LAW. SO DOES THIS MOVE THE NEEDLE ON A PUSH TO LEGALIZE POT IN THE SUNFLOWER STATE? LET’S DISCUSS WITH OUR ROUNDTABLE OF JOURNALISTS. PLEASE WELCOME BACK, KMBC9 POLITICAL REPORTER MICHEAL MAHONEY AND PEEL OUR FUNDRAISER, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER FOR CAKE NEWS. THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY. PEELER, YOU’VE BEEN WATCHING FROM TOPEKA. DOES THIS REJECTION IN OKLAHOMA PROVIDE ANY POLITICAL COVER FOR KANSAS POLITICIANS WHO MAYBE DON’T EVEN WANT TO TOUCH THIS THING? I THINK IT DOES. ALREADY THEY WERE BUILDING A CASE FOR NOT MOVING FORWARD WITH ANY FORM OF LEGALIZATION. THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE’VE SEEN A SERIES OF HEARINGS OVER ON THE SENATE SIDE WHERE THEY ONLY LINED UP FOLKS WHO OPPOSED THE IDEA TO BEGIN WITH TO SPEAK. THERE WERE INFORMATIONAL HEARINGS, NOT TESTIFYING, HEARINGS WHERE ANYBODY CAN SIGN UP TO SPEAK. AND THEY HAD ONLY FOLKS WHO WERE OPPONENTS OF THE IDEA SPEAKING. AND THE HOUSE HAS ALL ALONG SAID THAT IT’S UP TO THE SENATE THIS TIME. THE HOUSE HAS PASSED A VERSION OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION. THEY’RE WAITING TO SEE WHAT THE SENATE COMES UP WITH. AND THE SENATE IS DEFINITELY SIGNALING FROM THE BEGINNING THEY’RE NOT INTERESTED. THEY’RE NOT GOING TO MOVE FORWARD ON IT. AND I THINK THIS DOES ADD AMMUNITION TO THEIR FIRE OF WE DON’T WANT IT HERE. MAHONEY THERE’S PUBLIC PRESSURE, TOO, I IMAGINE, BECAUSE KANSAS NOW BORDERS TWO STATES WHERE RECREATIONAL USE IS LEGAL. DO YOU SEE ANY MOVEMENT EVEN BEING MADE SAYING, OKAY, WELL, THAT’S ON EITHER SIDE OF US. CAN WE AT LEAST GET MEDICAL MARIJUANA PASSED? WELL, THERE ARE ACTUALLY TWO BILLS FOR SURE IN KANSAS DEALING WITH THIS. ONE IS THE DECRIMINALIZE ZATION MARIJUANA. AND THEN THERE’S THIS OTHER BILL THAT PILON IS TALKING ABOUT HERE, MEDICAL MARIJUANA. IT’S PRETTY RESTRICTIVE THE WAY IT IS. THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA, A PROPOSAL WOULD ONLY BE FOR VETERANS TO HAVE TO HAVE IT. AND THIS WHOLE THIS WHOLE THING IS PEEL OUR NOSE REALLY WELL IS A RADICAL CHANGE FROM WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS SESSION THAT THERE WOULD BE A PUSH AND THAT THERE WOULD BE A SYMPATHETIC LEGISLATURE TO AT LEAST MEDICAL MARIJUANA THAT IS NOT THE WAY THE SAME THING SEEMS TO BE SHAPING UP NOW. CERTAINLY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE STATE AND FEDERAL COMMITTEE IN THE KANSAS SENATE, MIKE THOMPSON FROM JOHNSON COUNTY, HAS BEEN VERY, VERY STAUNCH IN HIS OPPOSITION TO ANY SORT OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN THE STATE. I BELIEVE THAT KANSAS IS ONE OF THE ONLY THREE STATES IN THE NATION NOW THAT HAVE NO LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA WHATSOEVER. AND THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRAT RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR LAST YEAR SAID, HEY, WE BE OPEN TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA. RIGHT. LOOKS AT IT LOOKS LONG SHOT, RIGHT? YEAH. STAYING IN KANSAS, LET’S TALK EDUCATION APPEAL. WE KNOW REPUBLICANS ON ONE HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE ARE MAKING SOME INTERESTING MOVES, SAYING THE LEAST TAXING PRIVATE SCHOOL INCENTIVES ON TO SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING. YEAH, THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF TALK EVEN BEFORE THE SESSION STARTED ABOUT THE NEED TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THE STATE PUTS INTO SPECIAL EDUCATION BECAUSE THEY’RE LEGALLY BOUND TO DO SO. AND WE HAVEN’T YET. BUT THE REPUBLICANS LEADING THE HOUSE SIDE, EDUCATION BUDGET COMMITTEE BASICALLY SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? OKAY, WE’LL DO IT, BUT WE’RE GOING TO ADD THAT WE’RE GOING TO SAY HALF OF THE ADDITIONAL MONEY THAT WE’RE GOING TO GIVE YOU HAS TO GO FOR TEACHER RAISES. OH, AND WE’RE ALSO GOING TO MAKE PART OF THE BILL A, WHAT THEY CALL EDUCATIONAL SAVINGS ACCOUNTS. OPPONENTS CALL IT JUST VOUCHERS BY ANOTHER NAME THAT BASICALLY STUDENTS CAN TAKE THIS MONEY WITH THEM TO ANY SCHOOL, PRIVATE OR PUBLIC. AND IT’S GOT A LOT OF OPPOSITION AMONGST DEMOCRATS, AMONGST PUBLIC EDUCATION, SUPPORTERS OF EITHER PARTY, REALLY. MAHONEY THIS JUST AROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME, IT SEEMS. WE KNOW WE’VE SEEN THIS BEFORE. YEAH. AND THERE’S ALSO CONSIDERATION OF MOVING ABOUT A $1.7 MILLION FROM THE THE FUND FOR NEEDY LOW INCOME FAMILY FAMILIES IN KANSAS AND PUT THAT INTO A FUND TO PROMOTE MORE CHILDBIRTH AND FEWER ABORTIONS IN KANSAS. WE’LL SEE HOW THAT GOES. WELL, LET’S TALK ABOUT ABORTION LEGISLATION, BECAUSE THAT IS NO, NOT REALLY ON THE BACK BURNER. NEVER REALLY WAS, EVEN THOUGH VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY PROTECTED ABORTION RIGHTS LAST YEAR. RIGHT. WE’LL SEE HOW THIS THIS GOES AS I THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS, YOU’RE WATCHING THIS PROGRAM. THERE WAS A MAJOR FIGHT IN KANSAS LAST YEAR TO EITHER RATIFY THE CURRENT LAW IN KANSAS OR ALLOW FOR ABORTION CHANGES. AND WE’LL SEE WHERE WHERE THIS GOES. I WANT TO END IN MISSOURI WITH YOU, MAHONEY, BECAUSE I HAVE TO ASK YOU ABOUT THIS FEDERAL JUDGE’S STRONG RULING AGAINST MISSOURI SECOND AMENDMENT PRESERVATION ACT. THIS IS A NOTABLE HERE. ABSOLUTELY. AND THE JUDGE, BRIAN WILLIAMS, FROM MY HEARING IN KANSAS CITY, AN OBAMA APPOINTEE, STRUCK THIS DOWN AND SAID THAT THE MISSOURI SECOND AMENDMENT PRESERVATION ACT, WHICH WOULD PROHIBIT MISSOURI LAWMAKERS, A MISSOURI LAW ENFORCEMENT, FROM HELPING FEDERAL AGENTS IN GUN ENFORCEMENT LAWS, WAS SLAPPED DOWN. HE SAID IT JUST DOES NOT STAND UP AND THAT IT PREEMPTS THE CONSTANT TUTION AND FEDERAL LAWS AND THAT THAT JUST WILL NOT AND WILL NOT STAND. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, ANDREW BAILEY, IS SAYING THAT HE’S GOING TO APPEAL IT AND THINKS THAT HE WILL HAVE A BETTER SHOT UP AT THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS. WE’LL SEE. ALL RIGHT.

Roundtable reacts: What’s next for marijuana in Kansas?

Oklahoma voters soundly reject the legalization of recreational marijuana. So, what does this mean for Kansas, where lawmakers are still fighting over medicinal use? Our roundtable explores this and other major issues affecting Kansas and Missouri.

Updated: 11:30 AM CDT Mar 12, 2023