The Kansas Reflector says that a bill being considered in Kansas would let people get cannabis-related crimes removed from their records and release people who are on probation, parole, or serving prison or jail time. The bill is being pushed by House Minority Leader Vic Miller (D), along with 24 other people.
“It doesn’t legalize it per se, but it eliminates the serving a sentence punishment. … This is sort of a backdoor way of relieving people of the penalty. And in and of itself, it would save in my mind, probably tens of millions of dollars related to those prosecutions in those incarcerations.” — Miller stated to the Reflector.
In 2021, the Kansas House of Representatives passed a medical cannabis bill, but the bill died in a Senate committee.
The bill has been sent to the House Committee on Corrections and Youth Justice. Republican Rep. Stephen Owens of Hesston, who is in charge of the committee, said he had to read the bill before he could say anything.
Vice Chair Rep. Eric Smith, a Republican from Burlington, said he couldn’t say much about the bill in particular, but that he thought medical marijuana legislation in general needed more thought before he would support it.
