© 2024 KMUW
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Kansas Lawmaker Hopeful For Medicinal Hemp Oil Bill

Wikipedia

A Democratic lawmaker from Lawrence is hoping a medicinal hemp oil bill can win approval during the tail end of the legislative session. The bill would allow the use of hemp oil in Kansas to treat seizures.

Rep. John Wilson says the legislation has passed the House and he’s pushing for approval in the Senate before the session ends.

“I’m hopeful, and I’m getting a sense from other lawmakers that there is really strong interest in the issue, it’s just a matter of getting the right people on board with the idea,” Wilson says.

Some critics have pointed out that the oil hasn’t gone through the normal drug approval processes. Wilson says it gives people new treatment options that don’t have the side effects of some medications.

Medicinal hemp oil doesn’t cause a person to feel high because it doesn’t contain enough of marijuana’s active ingredients.

Stephen Koranda is the managing editor of the Kansas News Service, based at KCUR. He has nearly 20 years of experience in public media as a reporter and editor.