An impromptu debate over marijuana came up on the Kansas House Floor yesterday, February 21. Lawmakers took up House Bill 2596, an annual requirement for the state to make changes to its controlled substances list. It’s to align the state’s list with federal law. The new substances added to the Uniform Controlled Substances Act would include 23 fentanyl-related controlled substances. The bill faced no opposition in committee. However, the debate quickly turned to the state’s marijuana laws. A motion was made to amend the bill. And remove cannabis from the scheduled drug list entirely.
Representative Pam Miller told the House that Missouri, who decriminalized marijuana last year, saw nearly one and a half billion dollars in additional economic activity this past year.
Representative Bill Clifford, from Garden City noted that marijuana is still a Schedule 1 drug at the federal level, considered to have no medical value and high abuse potential, and they needed to vet the issue properly through the committee process before debate. Forty-one lawmakers voted in favor of the amendment and 80 voted against it, sinking the push from Democrats. The House is set to take final action on House Bill 2596 today February 22nd. If it passes, it will go to the Senate.
