Board members of the new Cannabis Justice Coalition, who advocate for legal adult use of marijuana in Kansas, include from left to right Prairie Village City Council member Igna Selders, former federal prosecutor Barry Grissom, Prairie Village City Council member Ian Graves and attorney Leslie Byram. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)
OVERLAND PARK — Leaders of a new politically diverse coalition said Tuesday they were committed to supporting candidates for the Kansas Legislature dedicated to ending the state’s prohibition on recreational cannabis and to expunging criminal records tied to marijuana.
Prairie Village City Council member Inga Selders, founder of the Cannabis Justice Coalition, said it was frustrating to observe inertia of elected officials who failed to deliver “fair and equitable” laws and policies recognizing the social, medical and financial benefits of fully legalizing cannabis.
The bipartisan coalition would be dedicated to conducting a campaign to educate voters about marijuana. It would emphasize science and facts instead of comedic fiction packaged into Cheech and Chong films in the 1970s and 1980s. That effort would be combined with political advocacy on behalf of state House and Senate candidates aligned with the philosophy of legalization, Selders said.