Kansas: Medical Marijuana Relaxed Penalties Find Solid Support Among Poll Respondents

[Jacob Redmond]

More than two-thirds of Kansans responding to a poll support legalizing medical marijuana, and almost as many support decriminalizing or reducing penalties for possession of marijuana in general.

The results are part of the annual Kansas Speaks survey conducted by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University.

The poll results come at a time when the city of Wichita faces a legal battle with the state over a recently passed ballot measure that reduces penalties for first-time marijuana possession.

The poll shows that 63 percent of respondents would support fines rather than jail time for people arrested with small amounts of marijuana. It also shows that 68 percent would support allowing physicians to prescribe marijuana for medical purposes.

Wichita voters passed an ordinance earlier this month that would reduce the penalty for first-time marijuana possession to a $50 fine. Current state law classifies marijuana possession as a Class A felony punishable by a $2,500 fine or jail time.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt has called the Wichita ordinance unlawful, and the matter is now before the Kansas Supreme Court.

Kansas lawmakers have had hearings on legalizing medical marijuana this session, but proposals to do so have not made it to the House or Senate floor for a vote.

The random sample survey of 519 Kansans was conducted between March 23 and April 1 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical marijuana, relaxed penalties find solid support among Kansas poll respondents | The Wichita Eagle The Wichita Eagle
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[xtrchessreal]

Re: Kansas: Medical Marijuana Relaxed Penalties Find Solid Support Among Poll Respond

Its been two and a half years since Colorado changed the way marijuana business is done and these people are still walking around with their blinders on, "Oh what's that they did in Colorado?...I don't see it, not me, I have no understanding of that." Sheesh its embarrassing to me as a human being to read this. Let me get this straight the voters in Kansas approved an ordinance but the Attorney General can't wrap his head around it...is that about right? Idealism, reality, change...words that law can never keep up with yet there it is anyway. Laws, which are an abstract idea, written by humans for the good of the community, cannot be eliminated or changed because the Head of the Law Department says the previous abstract idea won't allow it, forget the human's wishes, eyes glaze over.