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Volume 126 Issue 72
kansan.com
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
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GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
University students Jeremy Kustov, Kyle Raisher and Brandon Curry shovel snow outside of Alpha Epsilon Pi on Indiana Street. Classes were canceled Tuesday because of heavy snowfall.
Marijuana law unlikely to pass
Marijuana legalized for medical or recreational use
CODY KUIPER news@kansan.com
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Since the legalization of recreational marijuana use in Colorado and Washington this year, other states around the country are showing signs of doing the same. But despite a growing contingent of support in Kansas, the state seems unlikely to make the drug legal.
Twenty states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, and eight states currently have pending legislation to do the same, but any efforts to do so in the Sunflower State
have failed to gain traction. State Senator David Haley (D-Kansas City) planned to reintroduce The Cannabis Compassion and Care Act, a bill that would allow the use of medicinal marijuana, during this legislative session, but the bill has yet to see the Senate floor and is probably unlikely to any time soon.
Despite little political backing in the state legislature, support among the state's population to legalize does seem to be growing, though. Advocacy groups such as Kansas For Change are gaining traction with their
obbying efforts in the state legislature, and a recent poll conducted by KWCH-TV in Wichita found that 70 percent of Kansans were in favor of legalizing medical marijuana use. Nonetheless, Sgt. Trent McKinley of the Lawrence Police Department said he hasn't noticed enough support on a local level to make an impact on the law.
"I'm not aware of anything of that nature," McKinley said. "I don't think we've been asked to offer an opinion of any sort on the issue."
"The only way I can see us getting involved is with some sort of a push on a local level, but I don't think that can even be done," he said. "City ordinances can be more restrictive than state law but not less restrictive, so I think if there was any change made it would have to be on a state level."
McKinley added that even a large local push for legalization from a city like Lawrence would still not amount to much in the way of legislative change.
But even big advocates for legalization in Kansas don't
SEE DRUGS PAGE 3
UPDATE
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
An autopsy revealed that Gianfranco Villagomez, from Lima, Peru died of blunt head trauma after a night of drinking on Dec. 7.
Autopsy reveals cause of death for University student
Gianfranco Villagomez died of blunt head trauma from falling, an autopsy revealed. Villagomez, whose body was found in December, was a 23-year-old computer science student from Lima, Peru.
The autopsy found basal skull fractures and cerebral contusions. Rib fractures to his right side, blood at the scene and the severity of the head injuries indicate that Villagomez had fallen. The report indicates Villagomez died before cold temperatures affected him. No stress ulcers associated with hypothermic exposure were found in his stomach.
Sgt. Trent McKinley, Lawrence Police Department spokesman, said police have not suspected foul play throughout the investigation. The autopsy, conducted by Frontier Forensics, is public and can be viewed online at kansan.com.
Villagomez was last seen leaving a birthday party around 2:30 a.m. Sat., Dec. 7. He told friends he was walking to his girlfriend's house, which was only half a mile away. Friends said Villagomez only drank in social situations and had not been drinking that night.
The autopsy revealed that Villagomez's blood-alcohol content was 0.188 percent.
Villagomez's body was discovered at 817 Avalon Rd. the afternoon of Mon., Dec. 9.
CLASSIFIEDS 7
CROSSWORD 5
CRYPTOQUIPS 5
OPINION 4
SPORTS 8
SUDOKU 5
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2014 The University Daily Kansan
Don't Forget
Drive with caution and stay safe on the roads.
Today's Weather
Ten percent chance of snow. Partly cloudy.
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