Kansas won’t have legal medical pot or expand Medicaid for at least another year

By JOHN HANNA and SEAN MURPHY
Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will remain among the handful of states that haven’t legalized the medical use of marijuana or expanded their Medicaid programs for at least another year. Republicans state senators on Friday blocked efforts to force debates on both issues before the GOP-controlled Legislature’s scheduled adjournment for the year Tuesday. Supporters of each measure fell short of the required votes to pull a bill out of committee. Kansas doesn’t allow voters to put proposed laws on the ballot statewide. That path has led to approval in other states. During committee testimony earlier this year, opponents of the medical marijuana proposal pointed to Oklahoma officials’ frustration with legalization there in 2018.