First, states near Kansas started legalizing marijuana in various forms. Then, the city of Lawrence took its own step in March 2019 to greatly reduce the fine for simple marijuana possession. In October 2019, the Douglas County District Attorney’s office weighed in by saying it would stop prosecuting simple marijuana possession cases. It seems that the community is at an inflection point on the issue of marijuana. The Journal-World decided to devote a significant portion of its Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, edition to articles exploring issues with this still illegal drug.
Plain and simple, the mayor of Lawrence wants marijuana to be legal. In March, Lawrence city commissioners went about as far as they could go on that front. They lowered the fine for possessing 32 grams or less of marijuana to just $1 — not only for your first offense but also your second. ...
Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson says he’s often asked whether he supports legalizing marijuana. “My answer is typically, ‘It doesn’t matter,’” Branson said. “It’s coming to Kansas.” Branson said he expects Kansas to legalize medical marijuana as soon as a ...
If the Lawrence City Commission is trying to send a message about the legalization of marijuana to the Kansas Legislature, it has fallen on deaf ears. “It’s a message that nobody is hearing,” state Rep. John Barker, R-Abilene, told the Journal-World recently. Three Republican state ...
For Lawrence resident Laura Green, years of advocacy for progressive marijuana laws began with one event. “I originally became aware of the harm that was being done to people through a family member who got cancer in the '80s and was recommended to use marijuana, but then didn’t have a ...
Douglas County prosecutors will no longer file criminal cases for simple marijuana possession, District Attorney Charles Branson announced Thursday. Branson said the decision, which was announced in a news release Thursday afternoon and is effective immediately, was made "after a careful ...
As Lawrence prepares to lower the fine for possessing small amounts of marijuana to $1, some say there are unknowns regarding marijuana use in the city and how the changes may affect it. Neither the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department nor local substance abuse treatment center ...