Legislation filed today in the Kansas Legislature would dramatically change how marijuana is classified under state law, shifting it out of the most restrictive category of controlled substances for the first time.
Senate Bill 484, introduced by Senator Cindy Holscher (D) on February 4, would move both marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinols from Schedule I to Schedule III under Kansas’ Uniform Controlled Substances Act, aligning the state with an incoming change in federal law that will also see cannabis moved from Schedule I to Schedule III.
Under current Kansas law, marijuana is grouped alongside substances the state considers to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. By moving marijuana and THC into Schedule III, the bill would place them in the same general classification as substances recognized as having medical value but still subject to regulation and criminal penalties outside authorized use.
The proposal makes targeted amendments to multiple sections of state statute, including K.S.A. 21-5706, K.S.A. 65-4105, and K.S.A. 65-4109, rewriting how marijuana and THC are referenced throughout Kansas’ controlled substances framework. Rather than being listed in the Schedule I section with hallucinogens like LSD, psilocybin, and peyote, marijuana would instead appear in the Schedule III listing.
Notably, the legislation does not legalize marijuana, nor does it create a medical marijuana program. Instead, it alters the underlying classification that dictates how the state views marijuana in comparison to other drugs in its code, drastically easing restrictions in many instances.
If enacted, SB 484 would mark one of the most significant marijuana policy shifts Kansas has seen in decades, signaling a formal acknowledgment in state law that marijuana no longer belongs in the same category as substances deemed to have no accepted medical use.
The measure has been referred to the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs for further consideration.
