Everything Kansas.

Discover. Connect. Support.

Two Democratic gubernatorial candidates in Kansas back legal recreational marijuana

State Sen. Cindy Holscher and state Sen. Ethan Corson said Tuesday that they support legalizing recreational marijuana in Kansas, putting their campaign message squarely on expansion beyond medicinal use. The Kansas Reflector reported that the two lawmakers are seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in the Aug. 4 primary.

Illustration of two lawmakers in a legislative chamber with a ballot box and subtle marijuana plant imagery, indicating a Kansas primary policy debate.

Holscher and Corson’s position, as described in their Tuesday call, is meant to differentiate them from other gubernatorial candidates who either support marijuana only for medicinal use or oppose legalizing it altogether.

With the Aug. 4 primary approaching, their marijuana stance is now one of the clearest policy distinctions highlighted in the Democratic race for governor—an issue framed as a choice between recreational legalization and limits to medical access.