BY NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/05/04/kansas-house-panel-passes-more-restrictive-medical-marijuana-plan/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A medical 
marijuana proposal is headed back to the House floor for debate after a 
panel of legislators on Tuesday kicked out an amended and slightly more 
restrictive version of the measure.The legislation creates 
the framework for legalized cannabis for people with qualifying 
conditions, including chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. 
To make the bill more palatable to the full chamber, members of the 
House Federal and State Affairs Committee made multiple amendments.The most significant and 
wide-ranging change came from Rep. Blake Carpenter, R-Derby, after 
discussion with Rep. Randy Garber, R-Sabetha, who previously championed 
an amendment loosening restrictions on the patient-physician 
relationship, qualifying conditions and THC limits.The Carpenter amendment 
would protect the gun rights of those with a medical marijuana license, 
remove protections against housing and employment discrimination and 
require a six-month relationship between a patient and physician — with 
some exceptions.“If you are a veteran and 
you get your care from the VA and you’ve never seen a physician 
regarding your condition, you can go to a physician, and your six-month 
wait is waived,” Carpenter said. “So if that individual has PTSD or what
 have you, they could get help immediately.”The committee adopted Carpenter’s amendment in addition to a few other changes before advancing the bill by a 12 to 8 vote.This is the second time in
 just over a month the panel has approved a plan to legalize marijuana 
for medicinal use. After the panel passed the act in late March, the 
measure was referred back to the committee for further consideration.Kansas is one of three 
states yet to have legalized marijuana in some form, and three bordering
 states allow at least medical marijuana. Development of a medical 
marijuana program in Kansas has moved at a slow pace for years, but amid
 a growing black market, there appears to be bipartisan interest in the 
development of such a bill.Other changes to the bill 
proposed by Carpenter include grandfathering in dispensaries established
 before a county opts out of allowing these businesses in the area, 
clarifications on advertising and adding back a previously removed 
provision regarding negligence when leaving cannabis products around 
minors.It also considers the 
possibility that marijuana may be rescheduled at the federal level by 
enacting a provision that would change any references to 
“recommendation” to “prescription” should that occur.An amendment proposed by 
the Kansas Department of Revenue’s Alcoholic Beverage Control office 
would add several definitions rather than have regulators determine them
 at a later date. It also moves the deadline to adopt regulations back 
by a year to July 1, 2023.The committee chose to 
reject an amendment brought by Rep. Steven Howe, R-Salina, that would 
have required dispensaries to be operated by a licensed pharmacy and 
that the pharmacist be licensed through the board of pharmacy. He also 
proposed requiring the board to establish requirements for the pharmacy 
to register as a dispensary and report transactions to the prescription 
monitoring database.“Given the fact we are 
legislating a medicine for medical purposes, I do think it would be wise
 to treat it as such,” Howe said. “It would be the easiest transition to
 approve medical marijuana … to ensure the safety and integrity of the 
medical field.”In voting to reject the 
amendment, Rep. John Eplee, a Republican physician from Atchison, said 
this could open the door to litigation issues for pharmacies as it is 
still against federal policy. The board of pharmacy is monitored by the 
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.With a little under a week
 likely remaining in the legislative session, the fate of the bill 
remains uncertain. Rep. John Barker, an Abilene Republican and chairman 
of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, said if the plan 
passes the House and were to get consideration by the Senate, it likely 
would return in different form.“If we should at some 
point in time run this on the floor, there will be a number of 
amendments. Some will get attached, some will not,” Barker said. “When 
it comes back from the Senate, many of us will not be able to even 
recognize the original bill.”

Kan. House panel passes more restrictive medical marijuana plan