PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: March 18, 2024
Contact: Erren Wright
Erren.wright@gmail.com
316.706.1738
Proposed Medical Cannabis Pilot Program a Disservice to Kansans
- Limited access for patients, producer monopolies and other problems in the pilot program bill -
Kan. – The Kansas Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and other advocates spoke out today on the proposed medical cannabis pilot program. Proposed by lobbyist Michael O’Donnell, SB 555 was introduced in the Senate’s Federal & State Affairs Committee.
“The extreme limitations on medical cannabis in this bill are going to hurt more people than they help,” said Erren Wright, KCCC president. “Licensing only four people in the state to participate in growing, processing and dispensing medical cannabis is a disservice to the thousands of small business owners and advocates who have fought for medical cannabis. Most importantly, it is a disservice to the Kansas patients who have waited longer than everyone else in the country to legally access this life saving medicine.”
The proposed medical cannabis pilot program issues four (4) cannabis operator licenses. Those four licenses control the entire supply chain from cultivation to processing and distributing.
“The current Kansas cannabis community of growers, processors, distributors, like myself, and retailers, do not support the pilot program as it’s been proposed,” said Troy Flager, owner, SugarLeaf Distributing, and Vice President of the KCCC. “There are literally hundreds of Kansas business people involved in the hemp and cannabis supply chain already and 99.9% of us are completely cut out of this bill. We’ve spent so much time and money complying with ever-changing regulations in this space. We care about the products we sell and the people who benefit from them. Hopefully elected officials will see through the proposed pilot program and support more reasonable bills that have been proposed over and over again in this state. I certainly want to see progress on the important matter of medical cannabis, but not like this. There are only 4 winners in the pilot program.”
The Kansas Cannabis Chamber of Commerce encourages all Kansans to reach out to their Kansas representative and senator. Share your support for a medical cannabis program that promotes Kansas business owners committed to a safe and equitable market for Kansan patients.
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The Kansas Cannabis Chamber of Commerce is a cannabis industry trade association providing networking, education and consultation to the cannabis industry in Kansas. We are committed to advocating for laws, regulations, and public policies including direct legislative lobbying, that promotes the growth of a responsible and sustainable cannabis industry within the state of Kansas.
