TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Penalties for marijuana possession could be softened in Kansas as legislators seek to lower prison populations and reduce costs.
State officials testified Wednesday in favor of a bill that would drop first- and second-time marijuana possession offenses below the felony level. The hearing before the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee comes on the heels of discussions last week in a Senate committee on a bill that would legalize marijuana for medical use.
While a second marijuana conviction can currently land a person in jail for 10 to 42 months, the legislation would remove the risk of prison time for offenders with no prior convictions until their third offense, said Scott Schultz, executive director of the Kansas Sentencing Commission, which proposed the bill.
