Hidden Gems: Meet Amy Reid of Kansas Cannabis Coalition, Inc.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Reid.

Hi Amy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I am a registered nurse who began researching the benefits of medical cannabis after seeing the positive impact it had on my terminally ill aunt. The more medical research I did, the more I became that patients in our state were not allowed to utilize plant medicine. There are thousands upon thousands of clinical research studies showing the benefits of cannabis for everything from chronic pain to PTSD and inflammatory bowel disease. I reached out to cannabis activists in the area, and we created the Kansas Cannabis Coalition, a non-profit 501c4 organization whose mission is to advance cannabis reform in Kansas. It’s been more than two years since KCC’s inception, and sadly we are yet to see a bill pass the finish line. We’ve come very close, but a Medical Cannabis bill is yet to be passed.

You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
The road could have been smoother, but we continue to build relationships with legislators. We firmly believe that education is power. Without knowledge of the true reasons for cannabis prohibition (greed and discrimination) and the science behind plant medicine, our legislators rely on those awful “egg in a frying pan” infomercials they saw in the 80s and firmly believe that cannabis is “the devil’s lettuce.” Slowly but surely, we have made headway, and in the 2021 legislative session, we were finally able to see a medical cannabis bill pass the House for the first time in Kansas history. Sadly, it happened so late in the session that the Senate needed more time to work on the bill. Because it was year 1 of the 2-year rotation, the Senate was able to pick up the bill right away in the 2022 session. Still, several roadblocks were created specifically by senate leadership, to stop any forward movement once again. For example, the bill was put into a non-existent committee for several months. Then when it was put back in the Senate Fed and State Affairs Committee, there was still time to get any movement on the bill. Shortly after, we learned that the legislature approved a Special Committee for Medical Marijuana. The momentum was strong with a very supportive Committee Chair, Senator Rob Olson. Chairman Olson worked diligently to create a new bill, only to be removed from the Fed and State Affairs Committee less than a week before the start of the 2023 legislative session. Once again, this move by Senate President Ty Masterson completely derailed the strong momentum created over the summer months.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Kansas Cannabis Coalition, Inc.?
The Kansas Cannabis Coalition (KCC) is an all-volunteer organization whose mission is to advance cannabis reform in Kansas. I am the President of the Coalition, and Cheryl Kumberg is the Vice President. Cheryl and I are both cannabis-trained Registered Nurses. The remainder of our Board of Directors consists of small business owners, hemp cultivators, and patient advocates. We even have a Certified Ganjier as the Chair of our Education Committee. Our Advisory Council is an amazing group of highly knowledgeable advisors and we have over 80 active members. We focus on advocating and educating patients, legislators, and the general public. We raise funds by selling $30 memberships and $25 t-shirts, and once a year, we put on our KCC Annual Disc Golf Tournament in Lawrence. Our 2023 tournament will be in June. We accept donations of any amount and utilize those donations to pay for a full-time lobbyist and other events to educate our legislators and raise awareness of the need for cannabis regulation. Our primary goal is to pass medical cannabis legislation, but that is only the first step in our mission. We will undoubtedly need to make changes to the bill because we know the initial bill will be extremely conservative, and that will affect patient access. We will also begin pushing for legislation to expunge minor cannabis convictions and help those incarcerated for non-violent cannabis-related crimes. In Kansas, people of color are 6 times more likely to be arrested and convicted of cannabis-related crimes even though cannabis usage is equal between whites and non-whites. This is wrong, and we intend to do what we can to stop this trend and help those affected by these injustices over the past several years.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
I have become very disenchanted with our state legislature. I wish I’d known that not all legislators are there for the people. Some are there only for their agenda, their major campaign contributors’ agenda, or their party’s agenda. Some are amazing and supportive of their constituents, but many are not. My advice for other prospective advocates is to grow thick skin!

Pricing:

• Kansas Cannabis Coalition membership is $30 annually
• KCC T shirts are $25 each

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kansascannabiscoalition.org
• Instagram: kansas_canna_coalition
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KansasCannaCoalition
• Twitter: @KSCanCoalition