Cannabis reform could arrive in nine states this year. Yet some remain far more likely than others to make it a reality.

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A bill to legalize medical marijuana in Kansas is dead for 2024 after the state Senate blocked an effort to bring the proposal to the floor for debate. Had it passed, the measure would have legalized the medicinal use of cannabis by patients with certain qualifying conditions in one of the few states that have yet to legalize medical weed.

Last month, a Kansas Senate legislative committee voted to table the proposal, Senate Bill 135, after hearing from both supporters and opponents of the measure. On Friday, an effort to revive the bill and pull it out of committee failed to gain the support of enough senators and was rejected by a vote of 12-25, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The Kansas Senate also failed to advance a bill to expand Medicaid coverage in the state, an opportunity from the federal government under the 2010 Affordable Care Act that has been adopted by 40 states and the District of Columbia. State Senator John Doll, a western Kansas Republican who voted for both measures, criticized his state for failing to follow the lead of much of the rest of the country.

“We’re behind the times,” Doll said on Friday after the Senate votes.

Bill Covered 21 Qualifying Conditions

Had the legislature approved Senate Bill 135, the measure would have legalized the use of cannabis for patients with one or more of 21 serious medical conditions including cancer, epilepsy, spinal cord injuries and chronic pain. Patients would be required to have a recommendation to use medical marijuana from their doctor and pay $50 for a state identification card to participate in the program. Patients would also pay a 10% excise tax on their purchases of medical cannabis. 

The bill also regulated the cultivation, processing, distribution and sale of medical marijuana. Four different state agencies—the Department of Health and Environment, the Board of Healing Arts, the Department of Revenue’s Alcohol and Beverage Control (which would be renamed to Alcohol and Cannabis Control) and the Board of Pharmacy—would be responsible for overseeing the medical marijuana program. 

Opponents of the medical marijuana bill cited the experience with legal medical pot in neighboring Oklahoma, where voters passed a legalization initiative in 2018 with nearly 57% of the vote. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and other Republican state officials have said that the loose regulations in his state’s medical marijuana law have led to an incursion of organized crime and foreign nationals eager to enter the lightly regulated market, many with plans to illegally distribute their crop to states that still prohibit weed.

“We had no idea we were going to have 10,000 growers, way more than they have in California and all these other states, and anybody with a hangnail could get a medical card,” said Republican Governor Kevin Stitt.

But Cheryl Kumberg, a registered western Kansas nurse and president of the Kansas Cannabis Coalition, said Oklahoma’s problems stem from the state’s legalization statute, which has remarkably lenient regulations compared to other states. She said Kansas residents who can obtain weed from other states are already using the drug, putting themselves in legal jeopardy in the process.

“It’s ridiculous,” she said. “I can go 45 minutes one way, a couple hours in the other direction, and you can just you can just use it however you want.”

Medical Marijuana Bill Tabled by Panel Last Month

Senate Bill 135 was stopped in its tracks on March 14 when the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee adopted a motion to table the measure. After the committe’s move, Democratic Governor Laura Kelly expressed frustration at the development. The governor, who has urged state lawmakers to pass a medical marijuana legalization bill in the past, also encouraged residents who back marijuana policy reform to contact state lawmakers and call on them to bring the proposal up for a vote.

“I am disappointed that some legislators are saying they don’t want to move forward with legalizing medical marijuana this year – effectively turning their backs on our veterans and those with chronic pain and seizure disorders,” Kelly wrote on X on March 16. “If they get their way, for yet another year thousands of Kansans will be forced to choose between breaking the law and living without pain. I encourage Kansans to call their state legislators and tell them to legalize medical marijuana this session.”

After Friday’s vote failed to bring the bill to the Senate floor, Democratic Senator Cindy Holscher said it is disappointing to see Republicans block the medical marijuana legalization bill despite the efforts of residents eager for cannabis policy reform.

“Over the past three weeks, scores of Kansans have reached out to their senators voicing support for medical cannabis as they have done for nearly the past decade,” Holscher said, according to a report from KAKE television news. “Sadly, supporters have faced many hurdles on this important measure.”

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Representatives from the Kansas Cannabis Coalition, Loud Light, and the ACLU of Kansas held an online meeting on Jan. 23 to discuss why they need to call on the Kansas House and Senate to move forward with medical cannabis. Initially, the day was intended to be a “day of action at the Capitol” in Topeka, Kansas, according to the Kansas Reflector, but due to unsafe weather conditions, the meeting was shifted to be held online instead.

During the meeting, some people spoke about how they or people they love have found relief in cannabis. Advocate Delaney Jones explained that his grandmother, who survived European concentration camps in World War II, suffered from late detection of pancreatic cancer. She was in intense pain and suffered from the side effects of opioids and chemotherapy, but finally found relief with cannabis oil. “It helped her get rid of the pain and the nausea, even the fatigue at times,” Jones explained. It did not have the side effects of opiate painkillers. We were super, super grateful to see really the magical work that marijuana did in her end-of-life care.”

Kansas Cannabis Coalition President Cheryl Kumberg said that five years ago she was assured by legislators that it would take one to two years to put together a medical cannabis bill. I’m here in open-mouth amazement that we are still discussing passing a medical marijuana bill,” said Kumberg. “It is just the same excuses all these years. The same rhetoric from opponents and legislators. We’re just like this little island.”

Due to the delay, cities in Kansas have created ordinances to decriminalize cannabis, but statewide legalization is long overdue. “We’ll just have this sort of understanding or unwritten rules and laws that we won’t prosecute cannabis,” said Kansans for Hemp and Kansas Cannabis Coalition member, Kelly Rippel. “It leads to inconsistency around enforcement, not only in communities, but also the district attorneys in counties. We need to have something on the books that says, ‘We are not going to criminalize this, especially for personal possession.’” Rippel added that legislators also need to focus on expunging cannabis-related convictions and record sealing.

As an example, Latanya Goodloe, Ladies That Lean executive director based out of Kansas City, Kansas, shared that she served four years in prison for possession and intent to sell. Although she completed her parole in 2009, she ran into challenges for having the felony on her record. Goodloe also believes that the conversation of legalization needs to be accompanied by law that rights the wrongs of the War on Drugs and pursues racial and economic justice. “No monopoly,” Goodloe explained. “Engaging the public, sustainable regulations are key components to shaping a system that addresses both health concerns and economic considerations. At this point, we have no reason to not put marijuana on the table.”

ACLU of Kansas legal director Sharon Brett mentioned the parallels between legislator opposition of medical cannabis as well as abortion, citing the similarities of the government attempting to control citizens’ healthcare opportunities. In August 2022, voters rejected a measure that would have amended the Kansas Constitution to state that “the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion.” The measure did not pass with 58.97% of voters voting no, and 41.03% voting yes. “Refusal of the Legislature to legalize medical marijuana is the Legislature essentially inserting itself into medical decisions that should be made between a patient and their doctor,” said Brett. “This policy choice is about liberty and autonomy. It is about who is getting to decide important medical decisions—you and your doctors or politicians in Topeka.”

Considering that 38 U.S. states, alongside Washington, D.C., and the U.S. territories of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam, have legalized medical cannabis, advocates feel it is well past time for Kansas to follow suit.

In recent history, the Kansas House proposed a medical cannabis bill in March 2021, but it died in committee by May 2021. In March 2023, the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee shelved a bill that would have legalized medical cannabis, with the chairman saying that they have more important matters to attend to.

Gov. Laura Kelly responded to the shelved cannabis bill, calling on the committee to reconsider the bill and take action in the 2023 legislative session. “I am disappointed that some legislators are saying they don’t want to move forward with legalizing medical marijuana this year—effectively turning their backs on our veterans and those with chronic pain and seizure disorders,” Kelly wrote on X in March 2023. “If they get their way, for yet another year thousands of Kansans will be forced to choose between breaking the law and living without pain. I encourage Kansans to call their state legislators and tell them to legalize medical marijuana this session.” To date, no medical cannabis bills have ever made it far enough to land on a governor’s desk in Kansas.

Previous Kansas governors, such as Mike Huckabee, weren’t as supportive as Kelly when it comes to cannabis. In October 2022, Huckabee released videos that made claims about adult-use cannabis only benefitting drug cartels and other inaccurate statements. “Unfortunately, you aren’t the one who is going to be making the money, drug cartels will,” Huckabee claimed. “And if you are one of those people that can sell the drug, maybe you’ll make a buck off of the gullible people who will somehow convince themselves this is absolutely harmless.”

Poll results published by Fort Hays State University in October 2023 show that two out of every three Kansans support cannabis legalization, with a fairly balanced split between Republicans (75%), Democrats (73%), and Independents (60%). Many participants also said that they would vote for legislators who share support for medical cannabis legalization in particular.

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A recent report shows that the state of Kansas once had hundreds of licensed hemp cultivators, but that number has decreased significantly. Numbers for 2023 show that there are only 41 licensed hemp cultivators currently operating in Kansas.

The surge in hemp cultivators was initially caused by the passage of the 2018 Hemp Farm Bill, which prompted over 200 cultivators to apply. Most of those cultivators prioritized CBD hemp oil production, but due to a more recent decrease in production (for health-related use, or as a food product) only 41 cultivators are now licensed.

According to Sarah Stephens, CEO of Kansas-based Midwest Hemp Technology, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s just a sign of the industrial hemp industry shifting focus to cultivating hemp for fiber or animal feed. “There’s been a reduction in the number of growers and the number of acres on the CBD side,” Stephens told KAKE.com. “But there’s been an increase in the number of growers and number of acres on the fiber and grain side.”

Kansas Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kelsey Olson also shared insight about the shift, explaining that hemp production has declined due to other neighboring states legalizing recreational cannabis. “The landscape has changed over the last few years across the country,” said Olson. “I think that may have shifted some of the use.”

Another Kansas cannabis business owner, Melissa Nelson of South Bend Industrial Hemp, said that she has always focused on growing hemp as a source of fiber. Now, she sees the current trend of using hemp stalks to make animal bedding material, which is stronger than standard straw.

According to Stephens, the hemp industry in Kansas has a lot of paths for expansion, including hemp grain food products. Since most cultivators do not grow hemp for the grain, a lot of hemp grain is imported from Canada. “We have the right landmasses, the right farmer know-how, the right seasons and temperatures to lead in this industry,” Stephens said.

Earlier this year in May, Kansas State University (KSU) architecture students created a hemp structure (which they called the “K-state Hemp Casita”) that was showcased around the state. According to KSU assistant professor Michael Gibson, the house was built over a 16-week period and measured at 10 feet by 7 feet. “We started off the semester passing around a bag of hemp hearts so that the students understood the full range of possibilities with hemp, in other words that it isn’t just like wood or other natural fiber materials,” Gibson added. “[Hemp’s] value as human and animal nutrition, in the CBD industry, and making industrial fibers was an important starting point to understanding why we should be using it more in buildings.”

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelley recently said in June that she had no intention of using her executive power to legalize medical cannabis. “I don’t think I can do that,” Kelley said in June. “I just don’t think that is within my purview. … We’re just going to keep pushing through the legislative process.”

This is a considerable difference in comparison to states like Kentucky for instance, which also doesn’t have legal medical cannabis. However, last year Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order in November 2022 to allow patients with chronic or terminal conditions to use medical cannabis. “With 37 states already legalizing medical cannabis and 90% of Kentucky adults supporting it, I am doing what I can to provide access and relief to those who meet certain conditions and need it to better enjoy their life, without pain,” Beshear said in a statement last year. Although his executive order does not legalize medical cannabis statewide, it does permit patients to purchase medical cannabis in a different state that offers legal medical cannabis.

However, it’s important to note that Gov. Laura Kelly does support medical cannabis overall. “Three out of the four states surrounding Kansas have legalized medical marijuana,” Kelly said on social media. “Legalizing medical marijuana would boost our economy and provide relief to Kansans suffering with severe illnesses.”

Cannabis-related bills have not gained much traction in the legislature. Earlier this year, House Bill 2363 was introduced to decriminalize cannabis throughout Kansas, but it didn’t move forward.

A different bill was tabled by a Kansas Senate Committee in March, which would have allowed doctors to approve medical cannabis products for patients with 21 different medical conditions (including cancer, epilepsy, spinal cord injuries, and chronic pain). “I am disappointed that some legislators are saying they don’t want to move forward with legalizing medical marijuana this year—effectively turning their backs on our veterans and those with chronic pain and seizure disorders,” said Kelley. “If they get their way, for yet another year thousands of Kansans will be forced to choose between breaking the law and living without pain. I encourage Kansans to call their state legislators and tell them to legalize medical marijuana this session.”

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A Kansas state Senate committee on Thursday voted to table a bill to legalize medical marijuana, likely killing the measure for the remainder of the year. The Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee voted to table the measure, Senate Bill 135, after hearing from advocates on both sides of the issue at a pair of hearings last week. Republican state Representative Mike Thompson, the chair of the panel, said later that he has no plans to bring the bill up for consideration again during the current legislative session, according to a report in local media.

After the committee voted to table the bill, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly expressed her frustration at the development. The Democratic governor, who has previously called on state lawmakers to pass a medical marijuana legalization bill, also urged residents who support cannabis policy reform to contact state lawmakers and call on them to revive the proposal.

“I am disappointed that some legislators are saying they don’t want to move forward with legalizing medical marijuana this year – effectively turning their backs on our veterans and those with chronic pain and seizure disorders,” Kelly wrote on Twitter on Thursday. “If they get their way, for yet another year thousands of Kansans will be forced to choose between breaking the law and living without pain. I encourage Kansans to call their state legislators and tell them to legalize medical marijuana this session.”

If the measure is eventually passed, Senate Bill 135 would legalize the use of cannabis for patients with one or more of 21 serious medical conditions including cancer, epilepsy, spinal cord injuries and chronic pain. Patients would be required to have a doctor’s recommendation to use medical marijuana and pay $50 for a state identification card to participate in the program. Patients would also pay a 10% excise tax on medical cannabis purchases. 

The bill would also regulate the cultivation, processing, distribution and sale of medical marijuana. Four different state agencies—the Department of Health and Environment, the Board of Healing Arts, the Department of Revenue’s Alcohol and Beverage Control (which would be renamed to Alcohol and Cannabis Control) and the Board of Pharmacy—would be tasked with oversight of the medical marijuana program. The legislation is slated to go into effect starting in July 2024, according to the text of the measure.

Kansas Activists Call On Lawmakers To Pass Legislation

Prior to Thursday’s vote to table the bill, several witnesses testified before the committee about the legislation at a pair of hearings held last week. Mandy Sohosky, who identified herself as a private citizen, said that cannabis is the best option to treat the chronic migraines that she endures. A host of traditional and alternative therapies including medication, therapy and acupuncture failed to help her, prompting her doctors to prescribe opioids and powerful muscle relaxers. But after trying cannabis in a legal state, she said the pain was gone in 10 minutes. 

“There is a solution for my migraines,” Sohosky told lawmakers at a hearing on Wednesday. “It’s not a perfect solution, but it would help me be a more present parent for my kids. I could attend karate practice, go to choir concerts. I could be there for family movie night. There is a solution for my pain. Please allow me to use it while my kids are still young, and my parents are still alive. I have so many memories left to make. Please allow me to make them.”

Supporters of the legislation also noted that the bill would reduce the suffering of thousands of Kansans with serious medical conditions. Appearing before the committee, Alejandro Rangel-Lopez noted that 17 residents of Ford County were arrested for marijuana possession between November and February.

“These are folks my age. I recognize a lot of those names from elementary school, from high school. I graduated with a lot of them,” Rangel-Lopez said. “And it’s heartbreaking because you know what’s going to happen. They get sucked into the criminal justice system, and they end up in parole for years, if not decades. And it ruins their lives. And for what? For what? I don’t think we have anything to show for the criminalization of marijuana. So I’m tired of seeing folks suffer needlessly due to inaction from our lawmakers.”

Senators on the legislative panel also heard from groups on the other side of the issue at a second hearing on Thursday. Representatives of state law enforcement organizations including the Kansas Sheriffs’ Association, the Kansas Association of the Chiefs of Police and the Kansas Peace Officers Association attended the hearing to express opposition to the medical marijuana legalization bill. 

Activist Lee Bretz, whose father was issued a ticket by police while in a hospital for terminal cancer, said the committee’s decision is only delaying the inevitable.

“It’s gonna happen, you know, in a matter of time,” Bretz said. “I just don’t know why they keep delaying it.”

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A Kansas state lawmaker last week introduced a cannabis amnesty bill that would effectively decriminalize marijuana in the Sunflower State. The measure, House Bill 2363, was introduced in the state legislature by Democratic House Minority Leader Representative Vic Miller on February 8.

Miller’s bill, which already has the support of 34 co-sponsors, would release all persons currently incarcerated for a marijuana-related crime and allow for the expungement of convictions and arrest records for past cannabis-related offenses. The bill also directs state officials to purge information related to such convictions and arrests from relevant state and federal data systems. If passed, the bill would go into effect on July 1, 2023.

“It doesn’t legalize it per se, but it eliminates the serving a sentence punishment,” Miller said in a statement published by the Kansas Reflector.

The bill would effectively decriminalize marijuana in Kansas. Miller said that the bill, which has been referred to the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee for its consideration, is a way to address the state legislature’s failure to make progress on legalizing cannabis in Kansas. Although an analysis of the legislation’s fiscal impact has not yet been published, he added that the bill would significantly reduce costs to prosecute marijuana offenses.

“This is sort of a backdoor way of relieving people of the penalty,” Miller said. “And in and of itself, it would save in my mind, probably tens of millions of dollars related to those prosecutions in those incarcerations.”

Medical Marijuana Bill Expected Soon in Kansas

In December, a bipartisan special committee of lawmakers wrapped up months of hearings to explore aspects of legalizing medical marijuana including regulation and taxation. At the final meeting of the committee on December 15, Republican Senator Rob Olson, the chair of the panel, said that the committee’s work would result in a new medical marijuana legalization bill for the 2023 legislative session.

“We’ll be able to have a bill out of all the stuff, all the testimonies come through here, that will be as good as any bill in the country,” Olson said. “And if this issue passes, I believe it’ll be a bill that most Kansans can be proud of.”

The Kansas House of Representatives approved a medical marijuana legalization bill in 2021, but the measure died in committee and failed to gain the approval of the state Senate. However,  Miller suggested that the eventual legalization of medical marijuana in Kansas is inevitable.

“It’s on both sides of us now in Missouri and Colorado, Oklahoma,” Miller said. “So I don’t think we should, as Kansans, be in a race for last place to do something concerning everything. And it won’t be long before we are the last to do it. I think the people of Kansas are ready.”

A limited medical marijuana legalization bill has already been unveiled for the 2023 legislative session. Under Senate Bill 171 from Democratic Senator Tom Holland, the medicinal use of cannabis would be legalized for use by military veterans only.

The bill, which was introduced in the Kansas Senate on February 7, would legalize the cultivation, distribution and sale of cannabis for use by veterans with chronic illnesses, post-traumatic stress disorder, or opioid use disorder. Under the bill, individuals currently serving in a brand of the U.S. military or who have been honorably discharged or generally discharged under honorable conditions will be eligible to apply for a medical marijuana patient identification card within 60 days of enactment of the legislation. 

The measure would also levy an excise tax on the cultivation and sale of medical marijuana and establish a regulatory committee to oversee the limited program. After its introduction, Senate Bill 171 was referred to the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs on February 8.

“This issue is important to all Kansans,” Holland said in a statement to local media. “States all around the country have enacted laws that allow for marijuana use, at least on a medicinal level. It’s long past due for Kansas to follow in their footsteps.”

Although he did not comment on specific legislation, Republican Representative Eric Smith, vice chair of the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee, said that proposals to legalize medical marijuana need to be developed more thoughtfully. 

“I don’t support the present way in which they’re trying to pass marijuana for use in medical situations,” Smith said. “I’m not against the use of THC for medical purposes. I think there is a medical need for it, but I think it needs to be done by those professionals in the medical field, not by the average dispensary run by an entrepreneur.”

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State lawmakers in Kansas met to discuss legalizing medical marijuana last week, with plans to introduce a bill when the legislature reconvenes next year. The attempt to legalize cannabis for medicinal purposes follows an unsuccessful attempt last year, when a bill was passed by the Kansas House of Representatives but failed to gain the approval of the state Senate.

Last week, at a meeting of the 2022 Special Committee on Medical Marijuana, the chair of the panel, Republican Senator Rob Olson, said that he plans to introduce a bill to legalize medical marijuana at the beginning of the January legislative session.

“I think what I’m going to do is — and any member is more than welcome — is to take this information and create the bill,” Olson said at the committee meeting on December 9. “And I’m going to work on a bill with a couple members and then if anybody wants to sign on in the Senate, they’ll be more than able to sign onto that bill, and introduce it at the beginning of session.”

Olson also encouraged his fellow state lawmakers to introduce similar legislation for legislators to debate when they return to the state capital next year. The Kansas state legislature is currently adjourned and will reconvene on January 9, 2023.

“I think that’s probably the best way forward,” Olson said.

Community Members Voice Views On Medical Pot

Members of the community attended the committee meeting, including a group of people opposed to medical marijuana legalization who expressed their views by wearing stickers reading “Kansas says ‘No.’” Individuals were also given the opportunity to speak either for or against legalizing medical marijuana, including Wichita State University senior Laura Cunningham. The student, who attended the committee meeting as part of a school assignment, told the members of the special legislative panel that she supports legalizing the medicinal use of cannabis.

“I feel like a lot of people who do smoke marijuana are very productive members of society, and actually function better because of it. I think a lot of people have found this balance that is appropriate for them as an individual, and that’s what really matters,” Cunningham said. “I don’t think that legalizing marijuana is going to necessarily cause this huge influx of people not having the motivation to participate in society.” 

During the meeting, the committee members were given summaries of topics relevant to medical marijuana legalization, including product labeling and packaging, medicinal cannabis possession limits, taxation and permitting access to medical cannabis for incarcerated individuals. Mike Heim, a staff member in the Office of Revisor of Statutes, gave an overview of the information as part of a presentation to the legislative committee.

“You’ve had eight state agencies visit with you, you’ve had nine or 10 research memos by the legislative research department, you’ve had over 60 conferees that have testified in two days before this committee and you have reviewed a couple of bills that were alive last session and so on,” Heim said. “In other words, you’ve been inundated with information.”

Kansas Medical Marijuana Bills Failed Last Year

Last year, the Kansas House of Representatives passed legislation to legalize medical marijuana, Senate Bill 158, but the measure was killed in a Senate committee only weeks later. Another bill to legalize the medicinal use of cannabis, Senate Bill 560, also failed to gain a Senate committee’s approval to advance to a floor vote. Democratic Senator Cindy Holscher said that she hopes a medical marijuana legalization bill will pass the Senate this time, although she reminded her colleagues of the failure of Senate leadership to support the legislation.

“The whole issue is last year, we had a very strong bill that passed the House, and Senate President Ty Masterson wouldn’t allow it to move forward,” Holscher said. “So I know there are different parties who have been reaching out to him to remind him of how important an issue this is to a lot of different people. So time will tell.”

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Researchers at Kansas State University have found that livestock feed containing industrial hemp can reduce stress levels in cattle, according to a recently released study.

The 2018 Farm Bill’s legalization of hemp has led to a flurry of research across the country as scientists work to discover novel ways to make use of a valuable new agricultural commodity. Previous research at Kansas State has shown that plant matter from industrial hemp has favorable crude protein and digestibility profiles, potentially making the crop suitable for inclusion in cattle feed.

Another study revealed that cattle readily absorbed cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) after being fed hemp flowers produced for CBD production. Michael Kleinhenz, assistant professor of beef production at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, says that the previous research has implications for the viability of industrial hemp as a livestock feed.

“If hemp is to be utilized as an ingredient in the ration of cattle, it is prudent to know and understand the pharmacokinetics and potential biological effects of cattle exposed to repeated doses of cannabinoids present in industrial hemp,” Kleinhenz said in a statement from the university.

Kleinhenz and a team of researchers decided to study whether the cannabinoids present in industrial hemp would have an effect on the stress and activity levels of cattle that were given feed containing hemp.

“Cattle experience a variety of stress and inflammation,” Kleinhenz explained, noting that animals that are being transported or weaned are particularly vulnerable.

Researchers Observe Benefits of Hemp Livestock Feed

To conduct the study, the researchers fed industrial hemp to a group of 8 Holstein steers. The hemp was mixed into grain that was given to each animal individually to ensure a complete and consistent dose. A control group of 8 steers was given feed that did not contain hemp. The animals were monitored for cannabinoid levels, blood stress markers and activity levels including the number of steps taken per day and the amount of time spent lying down. The researchers then analyzed the data to compare the results between the two groups of animals.

“Our most recent data shows how cannabinoids via industrial hemp decreased the stress hormone cortisol as well as the inflammatory biomarker prostaglandin E2,” Kleinhenz said. “This shows that hemp containing cannabidiolic acid, or CBDA, may decrease stress and inflammation in cattle. Thus, hemp may be a natural way to decrease stress and inflammation related to production practices such as transportation and weaning.”

The researchers also determined that the group of cattle given feed containing industrial hemp spent more time lying, which can aid digestion by helping the animals produce saliva and chew their cud. The study revealed that while cannabinoids could be detected in the animals that had been fed industrial hemp, the level did not increase over time.

“Our new research helps us better understand how cannabinoids present in industrial hemp interact with bovine physiology and pharmacology,” Kleinhenz said. “For instance, we now know that repeated daily doses of CBDA via feeding hemp does not result in accumulation of cannabinoids in the blood. Additionally, it solidified previous research and shows that each cannabinoid has its own absorption and elimination profile.”

Kleinhenz said that the initial data collected by the team is essential if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Association of American Feed Control Officials are going to approve industrial hemp as a feed for livestock. He also noted that more study will be needed to learn if the same effect on stress levels is observed in animals undergoing stressful situations.

“Further work is needed to determine if cannabinoids can alter the stress response in cattle during stressful times such as transportation and weaning, but we hope this research is a step forward in the right direction.”

Funding for the research was provided by a grant from the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The full study, “Short term feeding of industrial hemp with a high cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) content increases lying behavior and reduces biomarkers of stress and inflammation in Holstein steers,” was published online this month by the journal Scientific Reports.

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A Colorado logistics company is seeking the return of nearly $165,000 in cash seized by a Kansas sheriff’s department, arguing that the money is from legal marijuana sales and should not have been taken by law enforcement officers. The cash was seized from an employee of Empyreal Logistics during a traffic stop on May 18 in Dickinson County, Kansas after being collected by the employee from medical marijuana dispensaries in Missouri.

The U.S. Attorney’s office for Kansas filed a civil asset forfeiture case in the matter, claiming in court documents that the cash is subject to seizure because of alleged violations of federal laws against manufacturing and distributing drugs, according to media reports. The unidentified driver of the vehicle has not been charged with a crime, however.

Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Bryson Wheeler wrote in an affidavit filed in the forfeiture case that the approximately $165,620 was seized from a Ford Transit van owned by Denver-based Empyreal Logistics by Dickinson County Sheriff’s Deputy Kalen Robison during a traffic stop along I-70. Robison had also pulled the van over the day before for a minor traffic violation. 

During the first traffic stop, the driver told the deputy that she was collecting money from cannabis dispensaries in Kansas City, Missouri, and transporting the cash through Kansas to a credit union in Colorado. Missouri legalized medical marijuana in 2018 through a voter-approved constitutional amendment, but Kansas is one of the few remaining states that have no provisions for legal cannabis. 

The driver was released and put under surveillance by DEA agents, who observed her “stopping at and entering multiple state marijuana dispensaries” in Missouri. The day after the initial traffic stop, Robison pulled the van over again along the interstate. The reason for the second traffic stop is not included in the affidavit, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal.

During the traffic stop on May 18, law enforcement officers seized five bags of cash, which the driver claimed were from cannabis dispensaries in Missouri. A police canine unit later “alerted to the odor of marijuana coming from the currency,” the DEA agent wrote, and “marijuana is a controlled substance and illegal under both federal and Kansas state law.”

Attorneys for Empyreal Logistics argued in court documents that the seized cash should be returned to the company, disputing claims from federal prosecutors that the money was related to drug trafficking and subject to forfeiture.

“Plaintiff’s claims should be barred as the conduct which generated the Defendant property was lawful under Missouri state law and tacitly or affirmatively allowed by the action of the United States Federal Government,” the company’s lawyers wrote.

Perils of a Cash-Based Industry

The Empyreal case illustrates the difficulties faced by state-legal cannabis businesses, which are forced to operate mainly in cash because of federal drug and money-laundering laws. On its website, the firm promises to address the challenges of operating in a cash-only industry with solutions including “low-profile, eco-conscious, armored vehicles.”

“With our state-of-the-art facilities, secure currency processing, and management services, we safely and securely manage the cash assets of hundreds of enterprises across multiple industries so they can concentrate on managing their operations,” the company wrote in a press release unrelated to the asset forfeiture case. “Empyreal uses data and intelligence tools to help maximize our cash solution, with the goal of changing the way clients think of secured transport.”

Arshad Lasi, the CEO of cannabis dispensary operator the Nirvana Group, says that many of the cash-handling issues faced by the cannabis industry could be solved with passage of the SAFE Banking Act, legislation that would allow financial institutions to provide traditional banking services to state-legal marijuana businesses. Provisions of the bill were included in a military spending bill passed by the House of Representatives in September, but the Senate has not yet approved the legislation.

“Providing licensed cannabis businesses with the opportunity to bank in a traditional manner and not be limited to dealing in cash is crucial,” Lasi wrote in an email. “Banking allows companies to remain compliant, helps them avoid liabilities, among other benefits including safety and security.”

“I’m hopeful that the SAFE Banking Act will pass in the Senate, as its passage will also boost the cannabis industry’s reputation as a legitimate and major player in states’ economies,” Lasi added.

Lex Corwin, founder and CEO of California cannabis cultivator Stone Road, said that forcing legal cannabis companies to operate on a cash-only basis is “ridiculous and harmful” and called on lawmakers to pass the legislation.

“The SAFE Banking Act would give an already legal industry the legitimacy it needs and that it’s honestly due, especially since the government has no issues collecting said cannabis businesses’ money in cash,” Corwin told High Times. “Cash dealings are also a huge liability and personal safety issue––the biggest instances of injury and death are around cash pickups and dropoffs, ultimately putting people trying to play within the legal system in harm’s way.” 

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth Gale has set a scheduling hearing in the Empyreal asset forfeiture case for January 4. The DEA national public affairs office and a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Kansas declined to comment on the case to local media, citing the pending litigation.

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